Sioux City, Iowa—As part of National Agriculture Week, students in the Applied Agricultural and Food Studies Department at Morningside University will host a large-scale food packaging event to address food insecurity in the Siouxland region.

The campus-wide event will take place on Wednesday, March 18, from 7:00–8:30 p.m. in the Health, Physical Education and Recreation (HPER) facility. More than 200 students from across campus are expected to volunteer their time to package 20,000 meals in just 90 minutes.

Students will prepare 10,000 Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal meals and 10,000 Pasta with Tomato Basil Sauce meals. All 20,000 meals will remain in the Siouxland area. A portion will support students facing food insecurity through Pastor Andy’s campus food pantry, and the remaining meals will be distributed through the Food Bank of Siouxland.

The event is held in partnership with The Outreach Program, a nonprofit organization based in Union, Iowa, that connects volunteers with opportunities to provide nutritious food and other essential resources to communities in need. The initiative is also made possible through the support of the Siouxland District Health Department, Morningside Student Government, and the Food Bank of Siouxland.

“In agriculture, we feed the world, and during National Ag Week, our agricultural student leadership wanted to do something on campus to feed Siouxland,” said Dee McKenna, Experiential Learning Coordinator in the Applied Agricultural and Food Studies Department. “This event reflects who we are as a department. We believe in hands-on learning, community engagement, and using our skills to make a meaningful difference.”

The department’s commitment to addressing food insecurity extends beyond this single event. Throughout the growing season, students regularly donate fresh produce from the campus garden and greenhouse to local partners serving those in need.

“Our department regularly donates fresh produce from our garden and greenhouse, and this is one more way we are supporting food insecurity in Siouxland,” said Paige Schlenger, Garden Club president and a junior in the Applied Agricultural and Food Studies Department. “It is meaningful to see what we grow and what we package go directly back into our community.”

The food packaging event is a campus-only volunteer opportunity, but members of the media are invited to attend and observe students in action. Through initiatives like this, the Applied Agricultural and Food Studies Department continues to demonstrate that agriculture is not only about production, but about service, stewardship, and strengthening the community it serves.