Iowa Select Farms works year-round to tackle food insecurity through hunger-fighting initiatives
Throughout September, The Deb and Jeff Hansen Foundation’s Power Snack program distributed 24,000 pork sticks and 96,000 ham and bread coupons to 83 school districts in Iowa. In total, this investment worth $1 million will impact over 25,000 students and families in Iowa Select Farms’ “Homegrown Iowa” communities, where Iowa Select employees live and work.
Now in its 12th year, Power Snack empowers children to create their own nutritious “Power Snacks”: ham sandwiches made from high-quality deli ham and whole wheat bread. Each participating student receives coupons for 4 pounds of free deli ham and four loaves of whole wheat bread annually. These resources allow for the creation of 48 high-protein, filling Power Snacks per year, supporting the health and well-being of students. Ham is an excellent source of several essential vitamins and minerals, including thiamin, niacin, riboflavin, vitamin B-6, phosphorus, protein, zinc and potassium, all critical for growth and cognitive development.
Intended to be used as a quick snack during the school day, the Foundation also distributes pork sticks to schools. Located in nurses’ offices, counselors’ offices, main offices, and teachers’ classrooms, the sticks provide children easy access to protein when needed.
“Power Snack serves as part of the Deb and Jeff Hansen Foundation and Iowa Select Farms’ long-standing commitment to Iowa’s children,” said Laura Noehren, Foundation Program Manager. “Every child deserves nutritious, filling meals, and we aim to bring meals to those who need them most through our hunger-fighting programs.”
An educator from Conrad, Iowa, commented about the program, “I have seen firsthand how being hungry can affect a student’s mood, motivation and ability to concentrate during the school day. If a student is sitting in class hungry, that is probably all they are focused on, not what the teacher is teaching. These Power Snacks have been a huge hit with my students and families, and I love being able to provide a healthy option to them when needed.”
According to the Iowa Department of Education, 42% of Iowa students, about 200,000 children, qualify for Free and Reduced Lunch programs. The Deb and Jeff Hansen Foundation helps bridge the gap through the Power Snack Program, providing students with healthy meals even when school is not in session. This initiative is crucial as school-based food assistance programs address immediate nutritional needs during school hours, yet food insecurity often persists during weekends and holiday breaks.
The Deb and Jeff Hansen Foundation fights hunger year-round. The Power Snack program follows the successful Haul Out Hunger initiative that took place this summer, donating a total of 33,864 pounds of ground pork to communities in need. Looking toward the holiday season, Iowa Select employees will visit communities across Iowa with the annual Operation Christmas Meal pork loin giveaway in December.
About the Deb and Jeff Hansen Foundation
The Hansens, who founded Iowa Select Farms and New Modern Concepts in Iowa Falls, Iowa, established the Deb and Jeff Hansen Foundation in 2006 to relieve hunger, support military families and strengthen efforts to find a cure for childhood cancer while improving the quality of life for cancer patients. In 2023, the Foundation donated over 2.6 million dollars to efforts that impacted over 1 million families across all 99 counties in Iowa. Learn more at iowaselect.com/foundation.
About Iowa Select Farms
Iowa Select Farms is the largest pork producer in Iowa and is committed to responsibly producing safe, nutritious and high-quality pork for their customers and the food companies they serve. The company has 242,000 sows and annually produces more than one billion pounds of pork. With 800 swine farms across the state, Iowa Select Farms is one of the leading economic engines to Iowa’s rural communities through employing more than 1,200 people, contracting with more than 650 farmers and supporting hundreds of local businesses throughout the state.
Local Editors: Please reach out to lnoehren@iowaselect.com for photos and information regarding deliveries to schools in your area.
Participating Schools:
- AGWSR Community School District
- Albert City-Truesdale Community School District
- Alden Community School District
- Algona Community School District
- Alta-Aurelia Community School District
- Aplington-Parkersburg Community School District
- BCLUW Community School District
- Bedford Community School District
- Belmond Klemme Community School District
- CAL Community School District
- Carroll Community School District
- Chambers Public School
- Charter Oak-Ute Community School District
- Clarion-Goldfield-Dows High School
- Clarke Community School District
- Clarksville Community School District
- Colo-NESCO Community School District
- Creston Community School District
- Denison Community School District
- Diagonal Community School
- Dike-New Hartford Community School District
- Eagle Grove Community School District
- East Sac County Community School District
- East Union Community School District
- Emmetsburg Community School District
- Forest City Community School District
- Fort Dodge Community School District
- Galva-Holstein Community School District
- Garner-Hayfield-Ventura Community School District
- Greene County Community School District
- Griswold Community School District
- Grundy Center Community School District
- Hampton-Dumont Community School District
- Highland Community School District
- Howard-Winneshiek Community School District
- Iowa Falls Community School District
- Keota Community School District
- Laurens-Marathon School District
- Lenox Community School District
- Manson Northwest Webster Community School District
- MMCRU Community School District
- Mid-Prairie Community School District
- Montezuma Community School District
- Mount Ayr Community School District
- Murray Community School District
- Newell-Fonda Community School District
- North Butler Community School District
- North Iowa Community School District
- North Kossuth Community School District
- North Mahaska Community School District
- North Union Community School District
- O’Neill Public School District
- OABCIG Community School District
- Orient-Macksburg Community School District
- Osage Community School District
- Paton Churdan Community School District
- Pocahontas Community School District
- Riceville Community School District
- Riverside Community School District
- River Valley Community School District
- Saint Malachy Catholic School
- Schaller Crestland Community School District
- Schleswig Community School District
- Sioux Central Community School District
- South Central Calhoun Community School District
- South Hamilton Community School District
- South Hardin Community School District
- Southeast Valley Community School District
- Ansgar Community School District
- Edmond Catholic School
- Mary’s Catholic School
- Paul Lutheran School
- St Rose of Lima Catholic School
- Storm Lake Community School District
- Summerland Community School District
- Timothy Christian School
- Twin Rivers Elementary
- Unity Ridge Lutheran School
- Waverly-Shell Rock Community School District
- Webster City Community School District
- West Fork Community School District
- West Hancock Community School District
- West Marshall Community School District
