The 2013 Meals from the Heartland Annual Hunger Fight, the nation’s largest volunteer food packaging effort, is scheduled to begin Wednesday, August 28 at 9 a.m. at Hy-Vee Hall, downtown Des Moines. Packaging will take place daily through Saturday, August 31.

Meals from the Heartland has the goal of packaging at least 5 million meals during this four-day event. Meals packaged during 2013 are provided to children and families in need internationally as well as locally. Prior shipments have been distributed to Iowa, New Mexico, Haiti, South Africa, Honduras, El Salvador, Philippines, and many other countries.

Meals from the Heartland’s soy-based meals are made of U.S.-grown rice, soy protein from Midwest soybeans, dried vegetables and vitamins. Each package assembled at the event feeds a family of 6.

Over 15,000 Iowans starting as young as 5 years old, and ranging through all ages, will volunteer to package meals at Hy-Vee Hall throughout the four-day event. Training is provided to each volunteer. Time slots are still available, and registration can be completed online at www.mealsfromtheheartland.org.

Hy-Vee Hall is full of fun, energy, teamwork and excitement during this four-day event. On Wednesday evening, August 28th, over 1,100 high school students will package meals exclusively during the DuPont Pioneer Student Challenge.

Financial contributions to Meals from the Heartland are greatly appreciated to help purchase the raw materials for the packaging. Contributions may be made online or at the event, and are tax-deductible.

Free parking will be available to event volunteers on the north side of Community Choice Credit Union Convention Center (formerly Vets Auditorium). Volunteers are also encouraged to bring canned goods and fresh produce to support Des Moines Area Religious Council (DMARC) food pantries.

Meals from the Heartland is a Des Moines based 501c3 organization. Online registration, donations and information on Meals from the Heartland can be found at www.MealsfromtheHeartland.org.

A new survey ranks Iowa among the top states in the nation for organ and tissue donors. Tony Hakes, at the Iowa Donor Registry, says Iowans are known for helping each other in times of need, so the ranking is a big complement.

A heart or a set of lungs need to be transplanted within four to six hours, so Hakes says they’ll try to find what’s called a “critical needs match” locally first.

“So if someone passes away here in Iowa City and they’re a heart donor, we try to allocate that heart to someone in the area who is most in need,” Hakes says. “If they can’t find someone that is a critical need match in this area, they’ll offer it up statewide. Can’t find a critical need match statewide? They’ll offer it up to Zone 8 which is basically the border states.”

Some organs, like kidneys, can be kept viable for up to 48 hours. Hakes, the donor network’s community development supervisor, says it’s easy for Iowans to make it known they’d like to be donors.

“It just came out that Iowa is #4 in the nation as far as number of people that are registered as organ and tissue donors, percentagewise,” Hakes says. “We have about 1.8-million registered organ and tissue donors which is terrific. That’s great for a state of roughly 3-million people.”

There are about 600 Iowans on the waiting list for various organs, with kidneys being in the most demand. Nationwide, there are 125,000 people waiting. Hakes says it’s an important decision to make.

“We always encourage people to register as organ and tissue donors,” Hakes says. “Mark ‘yes’ on your driver’s license and make sure your family knows and understands your wishes and you know and understand their wishes. If you have ‘no’ on your license, you can certainly change that when you go to renew or log on to iowadonorregistry.org and change your status there.”

(Radio Iowa)

Alliant Energy’s Iowa utility and Trees Forever announced they are awarding $115,050 to 25 Iowa communities or organizations through their Branching Out community tree planting program this fall.

Alliant Energy provides funding for Branching Out, a nationally recognized program. It partners with Trees Forever and local community leaders to develop and implement public tree-planting projects. The program supports energy efficiency with strategic planting locations and designs. It also improves the quality of life, increases environmental awareness, and encourages volunteer involvement.

“We hope that by investing in tree planting and education, our customers will learn more about the energy efficiency and sustainability benefits trees offer,” said Tom Aller, President of Alliant Energy’s Iowa utility. “This is one of the ways we are working with our communities and customers to help create a more sustainable future.”

Alliant Energy provides grants of between $1,000 and $10,000 for community-based, tree-planting projects in communities it serves. These can be at parks, community gateways, cemeteries, nature trails, libraries, nursing homes, schools, and more. Trees Forever administers the Branching Out program and provides technical and planning support.

Since the beginning of the Branching Out program in 1989, communities and organizations have planted more than 1.4 million trees and seedlings in Iowa.

“Every Branching Out project focuses on long-term tree care, with a special emphasis on energy efficiency and conservation,” said Shannon Ramsay, founding president of Trees Forever. “We are pleased to continue our long partnership with Alliant Energy, in a combined effort to educate Iowans about the importance of trees and improving our environment, one community at a time.”

Organizations can submit grant applications anytime. However, funding is only decided during two grant-making cycles – November 1 for spring plantings and June 1 for fall plantings.

In Atlantic, $5,000 is being awarded to Cass County Memorial Hospital.

For more information, contact Trees Forever at 1-800-369-1269 or visit alliantenergy.com/branchingout or treesforever.org.

An open house for the newly opened Visitor Center at Lewis and Clark State Park will be held this Friday, August 23rd, from 2 to 3 p.m.  The Visitor Center, overlooking Blue Lake, showcases five replica boats used on the Lewis and Clark Expedition, including one that is fully operational, educational displays focusing on the flora and fauna discovered in the Monona County area during the expedition, and displays depicting  how the historic expedition was carried out.

The construction of the Visitor Center was made possible by support from Monona County, The Friends of Lewis and Clark State Park and the Iowa Department of Natural Resources.

With school in full swing in most parts of Iowa, parents once again face that early morning decision – is my child too sick for school? School districts often provide guidelines for keeping children out of the classroom and the Iowa Department of Public Health (IDPH) encourages parents to keep their children home from school when ill not only for their own child’s health, but to avoid the spread of disease to other students.

“There are times when a parent can clearly see their child is too ill for school,” said IDPH Medical Director, Dr. Patricia Quinlisk. “Other times, it’s not so clear. While we understand the challenges parents who work outside the home face when trying to accommodate a child who needs to stay home from school, it’s so important that children who have a contagious illness don’t come to class to stop them from spreading whatever they have to the other children. ”

In general, symptoms that indicate a day home from school is needed and consulting with the child’s health care provider is appropriate include:

fever (temperature higher than 100.4 degrees F. when taken by mouth);
severe sore throat that lasts more than 48 hours, especially when accompanied by a fever;
a significant rash, particularly when other symptoms are present;
sores in the mouth with drooling;
red eyes (pink eye);
skin infection with erupting sores;
severe ear pain;
an uncontrolled cough or difficulty breathing;
diarrhea;
vomiting more than 2 times in 24 hours;
severe headache, especially with a fever or
any symptoms that suggest a more serious illness, such as sluggishness, persistent crying, or irritability.

According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, children may be allowed to return to school after symptoms are gone for at least 24 hours. For information on specific childhood illnesses and what to do regarding school attendance, visit www.idph.state.ia.us/hcci/common/pdf/childhood_illness_guide.pdf.