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Newton and Mitchellville Correctional Facilities partner with Meals from the Heartland and plan to package over 895,000 meals for the hungry during this critical time

03/25/2020 05:00 - - (PR Distribution™)

West Des Moines, Iowa – During a four-day event, the week of March 23, Newton Correctional Facilities will host a meal-packaging event involving over 950 volunteers. The following week, The Iowa Correctional Institution for Women will host a similar packaging event with over 1,200 volunteers. The total number of meals packaged during these two events is estimated over 895,000. 

Strict precautions have been set in place to ensure the health and safety of inmates, staff and the entire prison population, including limiting the number of volunteers in the packaging areas, maintaining proper spacing, and requiring gloves and frequent use of hand sanitizer. 
 
These events were created out of the need to replenish meals that have not been produced due to the devastating effects of COVID-19, affecting Meals from the Heartland’s packaging efforts. Since pausing activities at the West Des Moines Packaging Center, along with all mobile community events, Meals from the Heartland has been unable to produce over 500,000 meals a week. 

“We are truly grateful for the ongoing support of the Newton and Mitchellville Correctional Facilities and the many volunteers that will participate in this crucial packaging event!”, offered Mike Frandsen, Meals from the Heartland Hunger Fight Manager. “The meals packaged during these two events will make a huge impact in our community during these difficult times.” 

Cord Overton, Iowa Department of Correction Communications Director stated, “This department is fully committed to doing what it can to help serve the people of Iowa. Every year, department staff as well as inmates give back to Iowa communities in various forms of public service. Through partnerships with great organizations like Meals from the Heartland, we're glad we can play a role in helping Iowans in need during this challenging time.”

Meals from these packaging events will be used to feed communities in Iowa and across the United States. To learn more about how you can become involved in a mobile hunger fight please contact Mike Lowe, Sales Manager, at 515-473-9530 or [email protected]

About Newton Correctional Facilities

The Newton Correctional Facility is a low and medium security correctional institution of the Iowa Department of Corrections. It is located in Palo Alto Township, in unincorporated Jasper County, Iowa, near Newton. Currently the institution has about 1,300 inmates.

About Iowa Correctional Institution for Women

Iowa Correctional Institution for Women is an Iowa Department of Corrections medium/minimum security prison located in Mitchellville, Iowa. Currently it houses approximately 640 inmates.

About Meals from the Heartland

Established in 2008, Meals from the Heartland empowers people to save starving children, focused on both feeding people and giving people a heart for volunteering and giving back to their communities. Meals from the Heartland has a goal to package 25 million meals in 2020, distributing food in Iowa, across the United States, and internationally. The non-profit organization’s food products are not donated, relying entirely on charitable donations to buy the food packaged for meals.

For more information, please visit www.mealsfromtheheartland.org

Media Contacts:


Full Name
Greg DeHaai
Company
Meals from the Heartland
Phone Number
5154739530
Email
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