- Announced today, local students help package 30,000 meals to feed Iowa communities. Ottumwa students who are part of Iowa Jobs for America’s Graduates (iJAG) partnered with Meals from the Heartland to assemble and donate meals back to families in Iowa and abroad.
The meal assembly took place on Wednesday at the FFA Enrichment Center at Des Moines Area Community College in Ankeny during the Iowa Skills Development Conference. The all-day conference also featured skills workshops, activities and professional development for nearly 300 students in grades 7-10 who are part of iJAG at their middle school or high school. The conference was hosted by iJAG and
sponsored by Apollo Opportunity Foundation, Athene, Hy-Vee, John Deere, Principal and The Wellmark Foundation.
The 30,000 meals packaged during the event will benefit up to 51 counties where iJAG is currently implemented, plus serve families abroad through Meals from The Heartland—a Des Moines-based international nonprofit food bank organization. The cost to provide the meals to iJAG for assembly was donated in-kind by Hy-Vee, Toro Company and Willis Automotive. A full list of communities that will
benefit from the donation is available at www.iJAG.org/schools. “Civic service is a cornerstone of the iJAG programming because it’s part of what makes for great generational leaders,” said iJAG President & CEO Dr. Wendy Mihm-Herold. “One way we empower our
students is by uplifting their voices and choices on a variety of topics related to their development.
Today, our students are choosing to help families who are facing food insecurity.” Iowa is one of 32 state affiliates that is part of the Jobs for America’s Graduates (JAG) network. Supported by bipartisan legislators, school districts, employers, private donors, and community groups,
JAG is a nationally recognized program model that bridges education and the workplace through leadership training, skills development, work-based learning with employers, and civic service to create future-ready leaders.
