Large boxes are lined up on the tables inside the Middle School classroom, all of them in process of being filled with groceries.  Spaghetti, Cup Noodles, macaroni and cheese, peanut butter, jelly, bread, Pop Tarts, Ramen, canned vegetables, and tuna fill each box.

“We also have pork that was donated from a local farmer who had their pig processed, so that’ll go in there.  There’s packs of pizza.  There are bananas that are going in,” Matt Freel says as he distributes food among the boxes. 

Freel, Mid-Prairie’s Behavioral Interventionist, is working alongside Guidance Counselor Tracy Rusch and Paraprofessional Shelli Stafford to pack the food boxes before they go out for delivery to the Mid-Prairie families who need them on this Wednesday afternoon. 

All three staff members have been volunteering their time in this way for several years, but the way food is being distributed is changing.  What began as tucking a few snacks into students’ backpacks gave way to pop-up food pantries during the pandemic; this summer, Feed the Kids Mid-Prairie tried out delivery distribution instead.  They received such good feedback, they decided to switch to the delivery model exclusively this fall, with monthly distribution to 68 families beginning on Sept. 14.

Having to pick up groceries at the schools was an obstacle for some families, Freel explains.

“We have so many single moms and dads that are working really hard, but they have to work evenings,” he says.  “Or Dad’s at home and Mom has an evening job, but they only have one car.  So, then what do you do?”

Food delivery eliminates this problem, for both the families and the volunteers, who would be left with uncollected boxes at the end of the night.

Freel and Rusch use the money raised from the Feed the Kids Mid-Prairie benefit dinner and auction to purchase food, most often in huge quantities from Costco.  Once it’s distributed among the boxes, the school district’s bus drivers donate their time to make deliveries in the district’s Suburban and vans.  Because the district has such high open enrollment, the three delivery routes extend out from Kalona as far as Ainsworth, Columbus Junction, and Iowa City.

The needs of area families are considered when selecting food.  A Hispanic box option is available, thanks to the work of the Spanish department, who reached out to families regarding their preferences, and the Kalona United Methodist Women, who purchase tortillas, rice, beans, Nutella, diced tomatoes, and saltines and bring them to the school for distribution.

Students and families who get a little help with food are appreciative; it’s one less thing they have to worry about. 

“I spoke at the Feed the Kids [benefit] and I talked about a family who sent a letter to Feed the Kids and they dropped it off in my mailbox and it had $100 in it and just said that when they lost their jobs due to COVID, we really helped them out.  Now that they’re back on their feet, they wanted to be able to pass that on and help other families.  That’s really nice.  That’s what it’s really about for us: how can we step in and help out and make sure that families can get through a tough time or elevate them to a better place?” Freel says.

Feed the Kids Mid-Prairie is a project of the Mid-Prairie Foundation.  To learn more, visit https://www.mphawks.org/district/partners/midprairie-foundation. To contribute directly to the Feed the Kids program, send contributions to the Mid-Prairie Foundation and put “Feed the Kids” in the memo.