Operation Christmas Meal

It was well below freezing on the morning of December 12 as workers of good will from Iowa Select Farms and the Deb and Jeff Hansen Foundation prepared to host Operation Christmas Meal in the Vets Building parking lot in Parkersburg.

In the twilight, cars lined up for the more than 500 free fivepound pork loins given out by employees who were on a mission from 7 a.m. to 9 a.m. Everyone was chipper, undeterred by the chilling wind.

Operation Christmas Meal started seven years ago in Des Moines, and this year expanded to thirteen locations throughout Iowa, including Parkersburg. A total of 6,000 pork loins are being given this year to Iowans in need.

Read the full story in the December 20 edition.