Members of the Compassion Club at Iowa Mennonite School packed food items for 56 elementary children in Kalona and Wellman. The club packed enough food for the next two weekends. According to the Federal Bureau of Labor, in Washington County there are 1,000 kids who are food insecure. Food insecure is defined as someone who doesn’t know where their next meal is coming from.

Mid-Prairie has come together to respond to the problem by establishing a summer lunch program and has its own Operation Backpack program during the school year. Backpack programs exist through food banks all across the country. The program gives a child a backpack of food for the weekend. Following the weekend the child turns the bag in to be filled again. Food insecurity impacts 10.7% of Washington County residents.