The Gladbrook-Reinbeck Community School District received 400 Power Snack coupon booklets and 200 pork sticks as part of the Power Snack program. Pictured are students at Gladbrook-Reinbeck Community School District and Eleanor Korum, an employee of Iowa Select Farms and the Deb and Jeff Hansen Foundation. Contributed photo

With one in eight Iowa children facing food insecurity, Iowa Select Farms, under the leadership of the Deb and Jeff Hansen Foundation, are driving the change to help end childhood hunger. Through the Power Snack program, Iowa Select Farms employees will be giving ham and bread coupons, along with pork sticks, to teachers and schools for distribution to their students. This program will supply enough coupons to total over 1,000,000 ham sandwiches, as well as 20,000 pork snack sticks, to help end childhood hunger, which the Foundation’s Power Snack program has been tackling for 9 years.

“The Power Snack program provides additional support for families who are struggling to make ends meet each day,” said Teresa Keninger, Principal of Ackley Elementary. “Anything we can do to help ease the burden is worth it to us. When you provide an opportunity like this, we are happy as teachers to help get these items into the hands of families.”

Between October 20 and November 22, Iowa Select Farms employees distributed Power Snack Teacher Supply Kits to 89 schools across Iowa. Four different times throughout the school year, children identified by the school as food insecure receive a $5 coupon for deli ham and $3 coupon for a loaf of whole wheat bread.

Pork sticks were added by the Foundation to the deliveries to provide a non-perishable, immediate infusion of protein for students, resulting in hunger relief and an open door to engagement in the classroom.

“We are eager to be back on the road visiting schools for this year’s Power Snack and are dedicated to continuing the fight against childhood hunger in Iowa,” said Eleanor Korum, Communications Specialist at Iowa Select Farms. “Teachers simply submit to us the number of students that are considered at-risk for food insecurity, which can really vary by community. Sometimes it is 20 percent of total school enrollment, other times it’s as high as 80 percent. We repeatedly hear feedback from teachers and nurses that our program makes a positive impact on the lives of these children and their families.”