May 15, 2024 | News & Press Releases
Hy-Vee and KCCI have joined forces to launch a campaign to fight food insecurity in Central Iowa. “Pack the Pantry” is a collaborative initiative between KCCI and all Central Iowa Hy-Vee stores to stock local food pantries across the region at the start of summer when pantries see a rise in visits as the school year ends.
“Food insecurity continues to be a severe concern impacting families, especially in Iowa where 1 in 6 children face food insecurity daily,” said Tina Potthoff, senior vice president of communications for Hy-Vee. “By partnering with KCCI, we want to help pantries prepare for the summer and help ensure that children and families will continue to have access to food where we see the greatest need.”
According to the Food Bank of Iowa, 344,550 people in Iowa — including 110,500 children — face food insecurity daily. When children do not have proper nutrition, they have an increased risk for chronic health conditions such as anemia and asthma. Children also can have difficulty in school. Hunger can also change a child’s brain, impacting their cognitive abilities and emotional well-being.
The Pack the Pantry campaign runs Tuesday, May 21 through Monday, May 27. Customers can conveniently drop off non-perishable food items at their local Hy-Vee store, which will have designated drop-off trailers and/or bins to receive non-perishable food donations. All contributions will be donated directly to food pantries near the Hy-Vee store, benefiting the immediate local community. All food donations will help support Hy-Vee’s 100 Million Meals Challenge, a collaborative partnership with Feeding America that brings together customers, suppliers and food bank partners to help support people across the Midwest who experience food insecurity.
KCCI is supporting Pack the Pantry with announcements on its broadcast and digital platforms, and through frequent newscast coverage during the campaign.
"For years, we’ve been working to fight hunger in our communities," said Brian Sather, president and general manager for KCCI. "Hy-Vee is one of our community's biggest advocates for solving food insecurity. We're excited to join forces with them to pack food pantries across central Iowa."
A list of participating Hy-Vee stores and the pantries they are supporting can be found below.
###
Hy-Vee, Inc. is an employee-owned corporation operating more than 570 business units across nine Midwestern states with sales of more than $13 billion annually. The supermarket chain is synonymous with quality, variety, convenience, healthy lifestyles, culinary expertise and superior customer service. Hy-Vee ranks in the Top 5 Most Trusted Brands and has been named one of America’s Top 3 favorite grocery stores. The company’s more than 75,000 employees provide “A Helpful Smile in Every Aisle” to customers every day. For additional information, visit www.hy-vee.com.
About KCCI
Celebrating more than 65 years of broadcasting, KCCI 8 News produces more than 30 hours of award-winning local news each week. KCCI, “Iowa’s News Leader,” is proud to provide news, sports, weather and entertainment to the area on KCCI, online at KCCI.com and on mobile devices with their numerous digital offerings. KCCI is committed to educating Iowa voters by providing in-depth coverage of Iowa’s first in the nation Presidential Caucus. KCCI also offers TV’s most memorable entertainment on its digital channel, Me-TV Des Moines 8.2 and exciting hits on My Des Moines 8.3. KCCI proudly supports the community by partnering year-round with local non-profits to give back to the Des Moines-Ames area.