WEST DES MOINES, IOWA (November 13, 2019) — Iowa Select Farms and the Deb and Jeff Hansen Foundation are continuing to reduce childhood hunger in Iowa with the Power Snack(tm) program. This year, food insecure children across Iowa will receive Pork Sticks in addition to existing Power Snack coupons for deli ham and whole wheat bread. Between November 11 and 22, Foundation volunteers and Iowa Select Farms employees will distribute 10,000 Pork Sticks and coupons for 1,000,000 ham sandwiches to 22,571 children at 125 schools.
"We are excited about the addition of Pork Sticks because they'll serve as an immediate, nutritious resource for kids," said Jen Sorenson, Communications Director of Iowa Select Farms. "They pack a powerful protein punch and can help students curb hunger and focus on learning."
In Iowa, 1 in 5 children are considered food insecure. According to Scott Jeske, Principal at Robert Blue Middle School in Eagle Grove, weekends and extended holiday breaks are especially difficult on kids who regularly eat breakfast and lunch at school. "Being well-nourished is a basic need that has to be filled before students can start learning," Jeske said. "We see a difference in students that come to school hungry versus those that don't, and Power Snack(tm) continues to be a great asset for our kids."
Power Snack(tm) Teacher Kits contain 80 Pork Sticks and four Power Snack(tm) booklets for each child containing a $5 coupon for deli ham and a $3 coupon for a loaf of whole wheat bread-the ingredients needed to make their own "Power Snacks(tm)" at home. In total, 91,004 Power Snack(tm) deli ham and whole wheat bread coupon packs and 10,000 Pork Sticks, intended for distribution right before Thanksgiving, winter, spring and summer breaks.
Ham is Lean, Nutrient Rich Protein
"Kids love ham," explained Sorenson. "It's easy to prepare, full of flavor and promotes growth and development. Combining the energy and carbohydrates of whole wheat bread with the protein of ham means the children will have made themselves a real Power Snack(tm)."
According to the National Pork Board, pork loin, tenderloin and ham are excellent sources of thiamin, niacin, riboflavin, vitamin B-6, phosphorus and protein, and a good source of zinc and potassium. The USDA MyPlate guidelines recommend children eat up to six ounces of lean protein daily, depending on age and gender.
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, employing more than 1,200 people, contracting with more than 650 farmers and supporting hundreds of local businesses throughout the state.
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 work with philanthropic organizations 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.
Below find a list of schools receiving Power Snack(tm) Teacher Kits
Town; School Name
Afton; East Union Community Schools
Albert City; Albert City-Truesdale Community Schools
Alden; Alden Elementary School
Algona; Algona Community School District
Allison; North Butler Community School District
Alta; Alta-Aurelia School District
Aplington; Aplington Parkersburg Community School District
Audubon ; Audubon Community Schools
Belmond; Belmond-Klemme Community School District
Blakesburg; Blakesburg Elementary School
Bloomfield; Davis County Community Schools
Bode; Twin Rivers Elementary School
Britt; West Hancock Community School District
Brooklyn; Brooklyn-Guernsey-Malcom Comm School District
Buffalo Center; North Iowa Elementary School
Burnside; SE Valley Middle School
Carroll; Carroll Community School District
Carson; Riverside Comm School District
Chariton; Chariton Preschool
Charles City; Lincoln Elementary School
Charter Oak; Charter Oak-Ute Community School District
Cherokee; Cherokee Middle/High School
Cherokee; ECLC/Roosevelt Elementary School
Churdan; Paton-Churdan Community Schools
Clarion ; Clarion-Goldfield-Dows High School
Clarksville; Clarksville Community Schools
Colo; Colo-Nesco Community School District
Conrad; BCLUW Community School District
Coon Rapids; Coon Rapids-Bayard Community School
Corning; Corning Elementary
Corning; Southwest Valley Middle and High School
Cresco; Howard-Winneshiek Comm School District
Creston; Creston Elementary/Middle School
Dakota City ; Humboldt Community School District
Dallas Center; Dallas Center-Grimes Comm School District
Dayton; Dayton Elementary School
Diagonal; Diagonal Community Schools
Dike; Dike-New Hartford High School
Eagle Grove; Eagle Grove Community School District
Eagle Grove; Eagle Grove Elementary School
Eddyville; Eddyville Elementary School
Estherville; Estherville Community School District
Farnhamville; Prairie Valley Elementary School
Fenton; North Union Elementary School (Fenton Campus)
Forest City; Forest City Elementary
Forest City; Forest City Middle School
Fort Dodge; Fort Dodge Community Schools
Fort Dodge; St. Paul Lutheran School
Garner; Garner-Hayfield-Ventura Comm School District
George; George-Little Rock Community Schools
Gilmore City; Gilmore City-Bradgate Comm School District
Gowrie; Southeast Valley High School
Graettinger; Estherville, Emmetsburg, Sibley, Sheldon, Hartley UDMO
Granger; Woodward Granger Elementary and Early Learning Center
Greenfield; Nodaway Valley Community School District
Grundy Center; Grundy Center Community Schools
Hampton; North Side Elementary School
Hampton; South Side Elementary School
Hartley; Hartley-Melvin-Sanborn Community Schools
Holstein; Galva-Holstein Community School District
Humeston; Mormon Trail Community Schools
Ida Grove; OABCIG Community Schools
Iowa Falls; Iowa Falls-Alden Community School District
Jefferson; Greene County Community Schools
Jewell; South Hamilton Middle/High School
Lake Mills; Lake Mills Elementary School
Lake View; East Sac County Schools
Lenox; Lenox Community School District
Leon; Central Decatur Junior-Senior High
Leon; Central Decatur North/South Elementary
LuVerne; LuVerne Comm School District
Manly; Central Springs Elementary Schools
Manning; IKM-Manning CSD
Marcus; MMCRU Community School District
Montezuma; Montezuma Comm School District
Mount Ayr; Mount Ayr Community Schools
Murray; Murray Community Schools
Nashua; Nashua-Plainfield Elementary
Nevada; Nevada Community School District
New Hampton; St. Joseph's Community Schools
New Hartford; Dike New Hartford Community Schools
New Providence; Quakerdale Promise Academy
New Sharon; North Mahaska Community School
Newell; Newell-Fonda Comm School District
Orange City ; MOC-Floyd Valley Community Schools
Orient; Orient Macksburg Schools
Osage; Lincoln Elementary School
Osage; Osage High School
Osage; Osage Middle School
Osceola; Clarke Community Schools
Pocahontas; Pocahontas Community Schools
Pocahontas; Pocahontas Preschool
Radcliffe; Hubbard-Radcliffe Elementary School
Reinbeck; Gladbrook-Reinbeck Community Schools
Riceville; Riceville Community Schools
Rock Rapids; Central Lyon Community School District
Rockford; RRRM Schools
Rockwell; West Fork Community Schools
Rockwell City; South Central Calhoun Comm School District
Roland; Roland-Story Middle School
Royal; Clay Central-Everly Community Schools
Ruthven; Ruthven-Ayrshire Comm School District
Schaller; Schaller-Crestland Elementary
Schleswig; Schleswig Community School District
Sheldon; Sheldon Community School District
Shell Rock; Shell Rock Elementary
Spencer; Fairview Park Elementary School
Spencer; Lincoln Elementary School
Spencer; Spencer Middle/High School
St. Ansgar; St. Ansgar Middle and High Schools
St. Ansgar ; St. Ansgar Elementary School
Storm Lake; Storm Lake Elementary School
Story City; Roland Story Elementary
Swea City; North Kossuth Community School District
Terril; Graettinger-Terril Community Schools
Truro; Interstate 35 Elementary School
Victor; Hartwick-Ladora-Victor Comm School District
Villisca; Enarson Elementary
Washta; River Valley Community Schools
Webster City; Pleasant View Elementary
Webster City; Sunset Heights Elementary
Webster City; Webster City Middle School
Wellsburg ; Timothy Christian School
Westside; Ar-We-Va Community Schools
Winterset; Winterset Elementary School
