Women's Correctional Institution Hosts Meals from the Heartland

Meals from the Heartland partnered with the Iowa Correctional Institution For Women on Tuesday to produce over 40,000 meals.  Of those meals, 90% will be distributed to orphanages and school lunch programs in Haiti, South Africa, Uganda, Nigeria, the Philippines and other impoverished nations.

The remaining 10% will be distributed across the state of Iowa, being supplied to food accessibility programs in lower income areas.

As impressive as their 40,000 packaged meals is, it is only a fraction of the total amount of 120,000 packaged meals thus far for 2019, with a designated goal of 25 million at the year’s end.

Michael Franz, who has been on the Meals from the Heartland staff for 6 years, praised the collaboration between the nonprofit and the Women’s Prison.  “It’s a good way for them to give back to the community,” he said of the female inmate population that volunteered to help package meals.  He also spoke to the partnership as a good way to teach the inmates collaboration, patience, and valuable workplace characteristics that they can take with them upon release.

Good job, ICIW!

Article by W. O'Loughlin, DOC Communications Intern