P a g e | 1 Forward by Ambassador Kenneth M. Quinn The World Food Prize created the Iowa Hunger Directory as a statewide platform for Iowa’s hunger fighters to network and collaborate, celebrating the accomplishments of Iowans and inspiring even greater efforts to confront hunger at home and abroad. The Iowa Hunger Directory is also a tribute to the legacy and convictions of World Food Prize founder and Iowa’s great hero Dr. Norman E. Borlaug, who believed with all his heart that we have the power and moral duty to banish hunger forever from the face of the earth. Born in 1914 on a small farm outside of Cresco in Howard County, Dr. Borlaug’s breakthrough achievements in agricultural science saved over one billion people from starvation. Though his accomplishments are known around the world, Dr. Borlaug’s efforts were first inspired at home when he saw hungry people sleeping in the streets of Minneapolis at the height of the Great Depression. Dr. Borlaug was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1970 for his work to “provide bread for a hungry world.” Following his leadership, Mexico, India and Pakistan all went from being wheat importers to achieving self-sufficiency. He worked until his last days to bring the “Green Revolution” to Africa, a region that still deals with a massive hunger challenge. His last words were “Take it to the farmer.” Dr. Borlaug founded the World Food Prize in 1986 to be the Nobel Prize for Food and Agriculture. With the invaluable support of John Ruan Sr., the Prize was relocated to Iowa, where it continues to provide inspiration to hunger fighters around the globe and here at home. On March 25, 2014; national agriculture day and the centennial of Dr. Borlaug’s birth, the bipartisan leadership of the state of Iowa and the United States congress installed his statue in the US Capitol as an enduring tribute to this legacy and to Iowa’s great agricultural and humanitarian heritage. It was Dr. Borlaug’s firm conviction that the fight against hunger begins at home, with the dedication and leadership of everyday Iowans. That’s why Dr. Borlaug and the World Food Prize started the Iowa Hunger Summit in 2007, with four Iowa governors serving as honorary co-chairs. This annual celebration recognizes Iowa’s great accomplishments in fighting hunger at home and abroad and encourages even greater efforts in the future. Iowans across the state continue to demonstrate the spirit of innovation and collaboration that drove Norman Borlaug and Iowa’s other humanitarian heroes, including Henry A. Wallace, George Washington Carver, Herbert Hoover and Jessie Field Shambaugh. Business and civic organizations, schools, churches, food banks, and so many individuals are making wonderful progress against hunger. I can think of no better birthday tribute to Dr. Borlaug than the ability to say that, someday soon, we in Iowa have ensured that all families have nutritious food on their tables and hunger is a thing of the past. I hope that you will find the Iowa Hunger Directory a great resource as you continue to build upon the agricultural and humanitarian legacy that makes each of us proud to call Iowa home. Amb. Kenneth M. Quinn (Ret.) President, The World Food Prize Foundation P a g e | 2 Introduction Thank you for this opportunity to share your stories in print and online. We are incredibly inspired by the work that you do to alleviate hunger across Iowa and around the world. Launched in 2012, the Iowa Hunger Directory at www.iowahungerdirectory.org highlights and promotes the great work that over 500 nonprofit, business and civic organizations are doing to fight hunger and provides Iowans with opportunities to become involved. There is no cost to be part of the Iowa Hunger Directory, which is built using a “relational” model that requires consent for each group to be included. We are especially grateful to the 68 organizations who participated in an informal project evaluation in June 2015. Conclusions based on the full set of responses include: Impact: The website and email newsletters have led to increased networking and led to several new collaborations among Iowa hunger fighters. People have applied ideas from the newsletters to their own work. Those who feel that they are part of the Hunger Directory network credit the newsletters with fostering a (loose) sense of community. Several people who do not regularly use the Hunger Directory website said that they value the existence of the Hunger Directory as a resource, even though they aren't using it much now. Membership Structure: There is a "core" of people who regularly read newsletters and feel they are part of a network. There is also a “periphery” of people who occasionally use the directory and are glad to be included, but who don't feel that they are part of a network. All organization types (direct service, government, faith, corporate, education) are represented in the core; however, corporate organizations are less likely than other types to be part of the core. Key Lessons: Most of the networking benefits rely on regular investments of World Food Prize staff time to develop newsletters and field requests for introductions. In addition to facilitating networking, the newsletters help keep the web directory current, as bouncing emails are a cue that our staff needs to identify new points of contact for a group. Many people value this printable, pdf directory as a complement to the online version. A pdf directory lets people see a full snapshot of the Iowa hunger network and is also a helpful story hook to help raise awareness of the hunger directory through the press. Our hope is that you will continue to find the Iowa Hunger Directory useful as you identify and engage collaborators in the fight against hunger. We are anxious to have your feedback and suggestions about how we can make this resource even better. Please don’t hesitate to contact us anytime at 515-245-3783 or [email protected] to register your organization for the Iowa Hunger Directory, submit an event to the Iowa Hunger Calendar, or update your organization’s profile by adding results, achievements and highlights of your programs and projects. Sincerely, Stephen Lauer Program Coordinator, The World Food Prize Foundation P a g e | 3 Part One: Stories of Iowans Fighting Hunger Iowa has a rich agricultural and humanitarian legacy to draw from in fighting to end hunger locally and around the world. The Iowa Hunger Directory fosters continuing innovation and collaboration by celebrating the accomplishments of Iowans and Iowan organizations and inspiring even greater efforts to rid our communities and world of hunger. As part of this mission, we periodically send a newsletter: “Stories of Iowans Fighting Hunger”, which celebrates innovative efforts and collaborations among Iowa’s Hunger Fighters. We have included several of these newsletter stories in Part One of this printable Iowa Hunger Directory. They are also available at no cost at www.worldfoodprize.org/HDStories For more information, or to receive our newsletter in your inbox, please contact us at 515-245-3783 or [email protected]. If you or someone you know are hungry and need immediate assistance, please dial 211 for referrals to local social services, including food pantries, supplemental food services, and more. The 211 service is an independent initiative and is not a program of the World Food Prize Foundation. Sincerely, Stephen Guide to Stories of Iowans Fighting Hunger Collaborative Hunger Initiatives: Networks and Coalitions in Iowa (5/26/2016) ............................................................. 6 Panera Bread of Iowa and its customers raise over $30,000 to alleviate hunger (4/20/2016) ....................................... 8 Boone students catalyze community hunger network (4/20/2016) ................................................................................. 9 Senator Joni Ernst, smallholder farmer Olga Tumax honor women in agriculture at the Hall of Laureates (4/7/2016) 10 Midwest Dairy Council supporting Iowa schools to reduce stigma, increase access to breakfast (3/22/2016) ............ 11 Initiative, collaboration, relationships form Sioux City recipe for alleviating hunger in secondary schools (3/9/2016) .. 12 Summer Food Service Program keeps kids fed when school’s out (2/10/2016) .......................................................... 14 Secretary Vilsack, Central College fight hunger through MLK Day program (1/26/2016) ............................................. 16 Johnson County Hunger Taskforce releases guide to free neighborhood meals (12/2/2015) ...................................... 17 Meal packaging events come with built-in benefits for volunteers (10/29/2015) .......................................................... 18 Recent Initiatives Highlight Power of Collaboration (9/22/2015) .................................................................................. 19 September is Hunger Action Month in Iowa! (9/1/2015) ............................................................................................... 21 Using systems thinking to build hunger free communities (9/1/2015) .......................................................................... 22 Central Iowa hospitality industry partnership fights hunger, homelessness (8/5/2015) ................................................ 24 Spencer’s Feed Our Children initiative shares best practices for school backpack programs (7/23/2015) .................. 26 Iowa Homeless Symposium Resources Now Online (7/1/2015) .................................................................................