Deb and Jeff Hansen Foundation Announces 13 Operation Christmas Meal Locations 

(December 2, 2021) – Iowa Select Farms and the Deb and Jeff Hansen Foundation announce the locations of Operation Christmas Meal, a free pork loin giveaway for families who aren’t planning a Christmas meal due to insufficient funds.

This year, Operation Christmas Meal will give away 17,000 boneless pork loins roasts at 13 different events across Iowa, plus an additional 1,500 through the Ignite the Spirit Program aimed at increasing awareness of hunger locally and helping even more families during the holiday season.

Operation Christmas Meal will kick off Friday, December 3 at 5:00 a.m. at the Iowa State Fairgrounds in Des Moines and end on Thursday, December 16 at 6:00 p.m. in Algona at the Bomgaars parking lot. Over the course of five days, Operation Christmas Meal will also travel to Creston, Osceola, Humeston, Ellsworth, Hampton, Osage, Aplington, Hubbard, Iowa Falls, Sac City, and Storm Lake.

“During an especially difficult time for families in need, Operation Christmas Meal helps create a happy holiday for all Iowans, no matter their circumstances or level of income,” said Jen Sorenson, Communications Director of Iowa Select Farms. “The event is free and open to anyone in need.”

Now in its 11th year, Operation Christmas Meal has provided more than one million Christmas meals to Iowa families. The event has become a holiday tradition for the Deb and Jeff Hansen Foundation with hundreds of Iowa Select Farms employees volunteering to brave the cold to hand out the pork loins year-after-year.

Igniting the Spirit of Giving Through Community Projects
An additional component of Operation Christmas Meal is aimed at increasing awareness of hunger locally and helping even more families during the holiday season.

The Deb and Jeff Hansen Foundation and Iowa Select Farms is awarding cases of pork loins and $250 cash to over 50 local FFA, 4-H, and school-based organizations throughout the counties where Iowa Select Farms has employees and farms. The donations will help student organizations host a community meal, organize and distribute holiday food baskets, or come up with their own idea for providing a meal to families in need.

“This is a great opportunity for students to better understand hunger, plan their own unique project or event while also partnering with organizations that provide different areas of support to local families,” said Sorenson. FFA and 4-H clubs will also be provided event kits with insulated totes, aprons, t-shirts, and meat thermometers.

About Iowa Select Farms
Iowa Select Farms is committed to responsibly producing safe, nutritious, and high-quality pork for their customers and the food companies they serve. The company has 242,000 sows and annually produces 1.5 billion pounds of pork. With 800 swine farms across the state, Iowa Select Farms is one of the leading economic engines to Iowa’s rural communities, employing more than 1,200 people, contracting with more than 650 farmers and supporting hundreds of local businesses throughout the state.

About the Deb and Jeff Hansen Foundation 
The Hansen’s, who founded Iowa Select Farms and New Modern Concepts in Iowa Falls, Iowa, established the Deb and Jeff Hansen Foundation in 2006 to work with philanthropic organizations to relieve hunger, support military families and strengthen efforts to find a cure for childhood cancer while improving the quality of life for cancer patients.

Below find a list of all 2021 Operation Christmas Meal locations. 

Des Moines
Iowa State Fairgrounds, Gate 15
Friday, December 3, 5:00 a.m. – 8:00 a.m.

Creston, Iowa
Old Walmart Parking Lot (next to Tractor Supply), 614 New York Ave.
Tuesday, December 7, 7:00 a.m. – 9:00 a.m.

Osceola, Iowa
Clarke County Fairgrounds, 2070 W. McLane Street
Tuesday, December 7, 11:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.

Humeston, Iowa
North 4th Broad Street
Tuesday, December 7, 4:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.

Ellsworth, Iowa
Trinity Lutheran Church, 1629 Dewitt St.
Thursday, December 9, 7:00 a.m. – 9:00 a.m.

Hampton, Iowa
Old Farmer’s Coop
Thursday, December 9, 11:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.

Osage, Iowa
Mitchell County Fairgrounds, 1006 Chestnut St.
Thursday, December 9, 4:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.

Aplington, Iowa
Aplington Recreational Complex, 1311 Parriott St.
Tuesday, December 14, 7:00 a.m. – 9:00 a.m.

Hubbard, Iowa
City Hall, 323 E. Maple
Tuesday, December 14, 11:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.

Iowa Falls, Iowa
Iowa Select Farms, 811 South Oak Street
Tuesday, December 14, 4:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.

Sac City, Iowa
Sac County Fairgrounds, 416 Park Ave.
Thursday, December 16, 7:00 a.m. – 9:00 a.m.

Storm Lake, Iowa
Upper Des Moines Opportunity, 620 Michigan Street
Thursday, December 16, 11:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.

Algona, Iowa
Bomgaars Parking Lot, 1501 US-169
Thursday, December 16, 4:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.