Community Packs 100,000 Meals

by | Dec 21, 2021 | News

WEST BRANCH, Iowa (KWWL) — Two hundred volunteers filled Herbert Hoover Elementary to pack 100,000 meals for those in need. The boxes will go to both Haiti and Iowa, and contain two different types of meals – pasta with red sauce or rice and beans. Each bag contains enough for six meals.

The Herbert Hoover Hunger Project is a partnership of the Hoover Presidential Foundation, West Branch Lions, and Meals for Hope. It’s named after former President Herbert Hoover, and based in his birthplace of West Branch, Iowa.

Their first event was back in 2014 where they packed over 84,000 meals. After a long pause, the former president’s own great-granddaughter Leslie Hoover-Lauble reached out to the Lions about reviving the project, which ignited the spark.

“She said ‘let’s do that again!’ and that gave us the spark plug we needed,” said project coordinator Greg Humrichouse.

A son of missionaries, Humrichouse lived in Kenya near a famine camp when he was five-years-old. He says the images of the starved children is part of what created his passion for helping the hunger crisis, in any way he could.

“I never became a millionaire so I couldn’t donate to the cause like I wanted, I wasn’t smart enough to invent a new grain product, but I could help organize an event that helps feed people.”

Meals of Hope partners with lots of organizations across the country, and holds events like this every weekend. Humrichouse says West Branch really stepped up to the table to help out this year, bringing a plate of food to strangers across the globe.

“I knew West Branch would come out to support to support it and they have,” he said.

Ready to Get Involved?

If you are interested in sponsoring a school’s Afterschool Meal Program or donating to ensure its continuity, please contact us to find out how you can help!