If you missed my book giveaway post please click here to go directly to the post that features a children’s book and an adult novel both written by my friend, “Cotton” Ketchie. All it takes is a small donation or a click on your computer screen to make a difference and be the ripple. All volunteer run, determined to help those who need emergency food without judgment-Hawkeye Harvest has won my heart and I am so happy to have been able to be a very tiny part of the effort to help those who are hungry in our area. It really does not take a lot to make a difference and this is one place that I fully support. Click the SHARE button to encourage all your friends to do the same. Once you are on this screen simply click on the VOTE button under Hawkeye Harvest Food Bank and you are done. Put IA in the search bar at the bottom of the page and click the little yellow icon on the right of the text box which will take you to the following screen. To vote just click here to go directly to this page: Anyone can vote daily through December 12th and wouldn’t it be wonderful if Hawkeye Harvest walked away with a pile of cash to help purchase a much needed vehicle? I know it would make Ozzie’s day. One of the things that Ozzie is excited about now is the fact that they are “competing” to win $20,000 through the Food Pantry Holiday Makeover being sponsored by Walmart. The remaining food comes to us from local individual and family donations plus community wide food drives held by schools, businesses, churches and other organizations. Our volunteers pick this up every day Monday through Saturday. As a partner with Community Kitchen we share twice weekly collections from Target and WalMart through their partnership agreement with Feeding America. Hy Vee East donates their day old bread and baked goods to us. We also buy food and non perishable items from our local grocery stores. Where does the food come from that you are able to distribute? The majority of the food we purchase from the Food Bank of Iowa since we are able to buy that for 14 cents a pound. Those we serve come from 42 different communities within the twelve county area surrounding Mason City.ģ. Last year our food bank provided enough food to make over 200,000 meals to help feed almost 17,000 people. We provide enough emergency food to make meals for four days. The quantities they receive is still predetermined by the size of their family. They will also be able to choose items from the produce case, bread and baked goods. Now with client choice, everyone will get a shopping cart to go around the room and actually pick out their own preferences from a certain amount of meat, canned vegetables, canned fruit, canned soup, tomato products, pasta, peanut butter, mac and cheese along with extras, non essential products such as toilet paper, bar soap and other items. Everything was predetermined and packed up according to the size of the family and what we had on hand. In our old location volunteers made up the boxes for the clients to pick up. With our new location clients will actually be able to come in and go with a client helper and pick out the food they want and will use. We collect food through donations and purchase food and non essentials. We are the largest all volunteer food bank served by the Food Bank of Iowa. What does the food bank do–who do you serve and how does it all work? Do people come in and pick out food or do you deliver it to sites –how does it all work?

Currently my main focus is to help tell our story to the general public,help out with special events in the community and try to raise money.Ģ. None of us really have a job- it is more a way for many people to share their time,talents or treasures. What is your job with the Hawkeye Harvest Food Bank and how long have you been associated with it? I am one of eighty volunteers.Ozzie answered a few questions for me on the blog earlier and here are just a couple that will help you understand just what this fabulous operation does for our area. You might recall that I did a post earlier this fall about Hawkeye Harvest and how this all volunteer run operation operates is amazing. Previous donations had also been made as well as donations to the Franklin County Food Pantry.

At this drop off we donated 235 pounds of food and $200 to Hawkeye Harvest. It was a fun morning for all of us and volunteer Ozzie Ohl was the consummate host and gave the gals a great tour with a great narrative of the history of the food bank.

We took a field trip to Hawkeye Harvest Food Bank located at 122 S Adams Street in Mason City to drop off our trunkfuls of food and cash donations that the bloggers and their readers had collected during November. Myself, Donna Hup, Val Plagge, Jeni Flaa and Amy Hild

Hawkeye harvest food bank