MEALS FROM THE HEARTLAND
Non-profit OrganizationsIowa, United States11-50 Employees
Meals from the Heartland is a nonprofit organization based in West Des Moines, Iowa, that organizes large-scale meal-packaging events to aid starving populations around the world. Since its first mass effort in 2008, which drew more than 12,000 volunteers to package 4,000,000 meals in five days, the organization has expanded its annual production to exceed 20,000,000 meals. Volunteers work in teams over two-hour shifts to assemble meals that are then distributed locally and internationally to address global food insecurity. The group engages individuals, schools, churches, businesses, and civic organizations as part of a community-driven effort to support hunger relief. In June 2025, the organization announced a partnership with the World Food Prize Foundation to host a meal-packaging event during the Iowa Hunger Summit, reflecting its collaboration with other regional entities to advance its mission.