Des Moines, Iowa (Sept. 27, 2021) — Food Bank of Iowa has received a $15,000 grant from Variety – the Children’s Charity to help fight childhood hunger, which affects one in eight Iowa kids. The grant will go toward Food Bank of Iowa’s BackPack Program™ and help stock the shelves of 100 school pantries.

Across the state, 46% of students qualify for free and reduced-price school meals, and one-fifth of those children are chronically hungry. Food Bank of Iowa’s BackPack Program™ provides weekly bags of kid-friendly, nutritionally balanced food to 4,500 elementary school students enrolled in the program. The food tides kids over on Saturdays and Sundays, allowing them to return to school on Monday ready to learn. And Food Bank of Iowa’s 100 partner school pantries serve adolescents and other family members in need.

Food Bank of Iowa provides food for Iowa children, families and seniors to lead full and active lives, strengthening the communities where they live. Serving 55 of Iowa’s 99 counties, Food Bank of Iowa delivered more than 20 million pounds of food to its partners last year.

Any organization or individual interested in joining the fight for a hunger-free Iowa can volunteer, donate and find advocacy information at www.foodbankiowa.org.

About Food Bank of Iowa
Leveraging bulk purchasing power, retail food rescue relationships and USDA’s The Emergency Food Assistance Program, Food Bank of Iowa sources free and reduced-cost food for Iowans in need. The food bank keeps the food safe and delivers it to 677 partners—including community meal sites; church, school, and community pantries; daycares; homeless shelters; and rehab sites—who then distribute food to children, seniors, veterans and hardworking Iowans. Food Bank of Iowa provides food to pantries, schools, and social service organizations in 55 counties, covering big cities and small towns across 30,000 square miles. To learn more, visit www.foodbankiowa.org or find us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/foodbankiowa.

About Variety – the Children’s Charity of Iowa
Variety – the Children’s Charity is dedicated to improving the lives of children who are underprivileged, at-risk, critically ill or living with special needs. Grant funding is provided to programs and initiatives that directly impact the well-being of children. For more information on Variety grants and programs, please visit varietyiowa.com.