Annual initiative supports Northeast Iowa Food Bank

CEDAR FALLS, Iowa - An estimated 2,500 volunteers will be needed at the upcoming “Pack the Dome” at the University of Northern Iowa. The single largest volunteer event in the Cedar Valley, organizers will pack 80,000 bags of food that has been collected for the Northeast Iowa Food Bank in support of its BackPack Program. This is all part of the Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service on Monday, January 16.

Volunteers can reserve their spots across morning and afternoon time slots through the Volunteer Center of Cedar Valley’s website, www.vccv.org. Individuals as young as six-years-old may participate.

“I'm so excited to be a small part of helping to make this event come to life again,” said Kristina Kofoot, Community Engagement program coordinator at UNI. “It's incredible to watch so many individuals and organizations come together to make a difference for youth facing food insecurity in the Cedar Valley and surrounding communities.”

Each month, the BackPack Program serves 4,100 children in 159 different schools across northeast Iowa. Before school lets out for the weekend, these students receive assembled bags of nutritious, kid-friendly meals and snacks that can fit in their school bags.

The annual Pack the Dome event is a partnership between UNI’s Office of Community Engagement, Panther Pantry (UNI’s food bank for students) and AmeriCorps. The organizations unite to support the work being done by the Volunteer Center of Cedar Valley and the Northeast Iowa Food Bank.