More than 750,000 meals of dried rice and beans are being packed this week at the Iowa State Fairgrounds in Des Moines.
The work by more than 2,500 volunteers is part of the first Break Hunger event organized by Meals From the Heartland. The group's director David Bradley said the event was planned for public schools' spring break week and that he was overwhelmed by the volunteers' response.
Meals From the Heartland is based in West Des Moines.
Bradley says people who receive the meals from local food pantries get a card with eight recipes and tips for cooking the legume mix, which serves as a casserole or soup base. Each package feeds up to six people.
