An award-winning film

The Quad Cities Food Hub will host a screening of the documentary GROW! On Sunday, May 3, 2015 at 5:00 pm. Admission is free but donations are welcome and further the Quad Cities Food Hub's mission. Popcorn and beverages will be available for purchase in the Quad Cities Food Hub Market Store. The film will be followed by a discussion panel with local farmers.

There's a growing movement of educated young people who are leaving the cities to take up an agrarian life. Armed with college degrees, some are unable to find jobs in the current economic slump. Fed up with corporate America and its influence on a broken food system, they aim to solve some of the current system's inequities by growing clean, fair food. Mostly landless, they borrow, rent or manage farmland in order to fulfill their dreams of doing something meaningful with their lives.

Filmed on 12 farms throughout the state of Georgia during an entire growing season, GROW! provides an honest and inspiring look at this next generation of farmers. Anybody who appreciates the value of good wholesome food grown close to home, who cares about our food supply and the future of farming will want to see GROW!

GROW! takes a look at this new generation of sustainable farming through the eyes, hearts and minds of 20 idealistic, passionate and fiercely independent young growers. In the film they speak of both the joys and the challenges involved in tending the land.

2011 WINNER BEST AMERICAN DOCUMENTARY
- Rome International Film Festival
2011 WINNER FOCUS AWARD
- Montana CINE International Film Festival
2011 WINNER BEST OF CATEGORY
- Montana CINE International Film Festival
2011 WINNER AUDIENCE CHOICE AWARD
- Docufest Atlanta
2011 WINNER BEST DOCUMENTARY SHORT
- Asheville Cinema Film Festival
2012 WINNER BEST DOCUMENTARY, Runner Up
- Macon Film Festival
2012 WINNER BEST FEATURE FILM
- Colorado Environmental Film Festival
2013 WINNER EARTH AWARD
- Cinema Verde Environmental Film Festival

Official Selection 2011 
- Slow Motion Food Film Fest - Nova Scotia
Official Selection 2011 
- Savannah Film Festival
Official Selection 2012 
- Wild and Scenic Film Festival
Official Selection/Jury Nomination 2012 
- Reel Earth Environmental Film Festival, New Zealand

Janine Schwendinger placed first out of 18 designers in the finals of the companywide competition

WEST DES MOINES, Iowa (April 14, 2015) ? Eighteen of Hy-Vee's most creative cake designers from across the Midwest competed Saturday for a shot at being named Hy-Vee's best cake designer in the finals of Hy-Vee's 2015 Cake Designer Challenge.

Janine Schwendinger, cake designer at the Hy-Vee Barlow Plaza store in Rochester, Minnesota, rose to the top of the competition, taking home first place and the Designers' Choice Award. Linda Schneider of Ankeny No. 1 Hy-Vee in Ankeny, Iowa, placed second and Amy Murtha of Belton Hy-Vee in Belton, Missouri, placed third.

"This has been a goal of mine for years, so I'm very happy to have won. It really validates what I do every day and my abilities," Schwendinger said. "Winning the Designers' Choice Award meant a lot to me because it shows that my peers respect what I do, and that means the world to me. One of the best parts of coming to the finals is getting the chance to meet up with my fellow designers. It's really a reunion for us as much as it is a competition."

The designers had four hours to decorate a three-tiered wedding cake and a specialty cake of their choosing in front of spectators at Jordan Creek Mall in West Des Moines. The top three finishers of the final competition earned $1,700, $750 and $500, respectively. Additionally, Schwendinger took home $500 for the peer-voted Designers' Choice Award.

The entrants were scored on the cakes' technical appearance, icing appearance and level of difficulty. Designers were judged by a panel of experts, including celebrity guest judge Joshua John Russell from the television shows "Food Network Challenge" and "Last Cake Standing."

Russell, an accomplished and well-known pastry chef and cake designer, said he was excited to help judge at the finals and to see the designers' creations.

"The unique thing about Hy-Vee is their cake designers have the flexibility to use their creativity to try innovative ideas and design new creations. The designers at Hy-Vee are incredibly talented, and it was great to see them in action," Russell said. "Congratulations to all the award winners and all the competitors for designing some extraordinary cakes."

Throughout February, more than 190 designers competed in six regional semifinal events throughout Hy-Vee's eight-state territory in the 2015 Cake Designer Challenge. The top three designers at each semifinal competition advanced to the finals.

"The Hy-Vee Cake Designer Challenge Finals was a great opportunity to highlight the top 18 designers in our company and show the public the outstanding quality and truly unique creations offered in Hy-Vee stores," said Ray Doughan, assistant vice president of bakery operations at Hy-Vee. "Hy-Vee has more than 400 talented cake artists across the region who help create one-of-a-kind cakes and special memories for customers each day. Congratulations to all of the award winners and participants ? all of whom we are proud to call part of our team."

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WEST DES MOINES, Iowa (April 3, 2015) – Hy-Vee, Inc.'s private label canned tuna ranked fifth in Greenpeace USA's recent Tuna Shopping Guide, which analyzed 14 well-known canned tuna brands across the United States.

Hy-Vee Select Responsible Choice skipjack and albacore tuna were recognized as ocean safe products because of their pole and line or pole and troll fishing methods, which have minimal impact on other species. The analysis also noted the grocery chain's recent strides with its Seafood Procurement Policy and the availability of information on Hy-Vee's responsible seafood efforts.

"We are dedicated to delivering a high-quality seafood selection to our Midwest customers. To accomplish this, we believe we must also play an integral role in keeping our oceans healthy," said Nate Stewart, vice president of perishables at Hy-Vee. "We look forward to continuing to improve our responsible seafood efforts."

Greenpeace scored the brands in categories including traceability, fishing methods used, product labeling and consumer education, and support for marine reserves and promoting industry change. Through this scoring process, it found that only 20 percent of the canned tuna sold in the United States comes from sources that engage in responsible and nondestructive fishing practices.

Hy-Vee's Seafood Procurement Policy includes the Responsible Choice labeling initiative, which informs customers about the company's efforts to provide seafood from environmentally responsible sources. The policy was created to help Hy-Vee sell seafood that is not only safe for consumption, but that is also harvested or raised in a manner providing for its long-term viability while minimizing damage to the environment and other sea life.

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Hy-Vee, Inc. is an employee-owned corporation operating more than 235 retail stores across eight Midwestern states with sales of $8.7 billion annually. Hy-Vee ranks among the top 25 supermarket chains and the top 50 private companies in the United States. Supermarket News, the authoritative voice of the food industry, has honored the company with a Whole Health Enterprise Award for its leadership in providing services and programs that promote a healthy lifestyle. For more information, visit www.hy-vee.com.