Hy-Vee Leads the Way to Help Fight Food Insecurity in Iowa

Hy-Vee has announced its plan to help fight food insecurity by launching a new fundraiser aimed at supporting local food banks across its eight-state region including eastern Iowa.

All the money raised will stay local and provide immediate assistance to families in need and support the increased demand for food. This comes after the recent reductions in Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits.

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Hy-Vee’s “Food Bank Fridays” is part of its One Step initiative where customers can make a $1 or $5 donation at their local Hy-Vee or Dollar Fresh Market store to help feed local families in need. The company says the funds raised will stay local and provide ongoing support to the area’s food bank.

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Every Friday, Hy-Vee will feature a food bank on its social media channels showing how customer donations are making a difference in their communities by helping ensure food banks are well stocked.

“This fundraiser is just one example of Hy-Vee’s ongoing initiative to eliminate food insecurity in the communities we serve,” said Randy Edeker, Hy-Vee chairman and CEO. “We hope our customers, community partners, and suppliers will join us in this effort which will have a major impact on the lives of many.”

Hy-Vee has even more fundraisers and special events planned for 2022 to outline its ongoing commitment to creating hunger-free communities. Learn more about Hy-Vee's plans to fight hunger at the company's website.

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Northeast Iowa Food Bank, 1605 Lafayette St. Waterloo, IA has partnered with the retailer. You can see the list of Iowa food bank partners here.

Earlier this month, we told you about how Hy-Vee partnered with Hormel and local first responders to distribute nearly 7,500 hams to families in need in 10 states ahead of the Easter holiday.

Donation stories are also available on HyVee.com, along with a list of benefiting food banks and the agencies they support.

Iowa's Island City

There is something unique about every town, but there is really something special about Sabula, IA. Known as "Iowa's Island City," Sabula is the only town in the state of Iowa that is entirely on an island. While not a lot of people have been to, or live in Sabula, it is a quaint little town nestled right on the Mississippi River.

Before we show you around "Iowa's Island City," let me give you the history of Sabula. Sabula was established in 1835, according History of Jackson County, Iowa, Volume 1 by James Whitcomb Ellis. Isaac Dorman and a man named Hinkley crossed the river from the Illinois side on a log and decided to settle on what is now Sabula. An Ohio couple, James and Margaret Woods would settle on Sabula about a year later in April of 1836. Their son, Dr. E. A. Woods would purchase Hinkley's interest in the claim. Charles Swan and W. H. Brown would soon purchase Dorman's interest. The three men, Woods, Swan and Brown later had the land plotted in 1837.

The idea behind plotting the land was because there was no town between Lyons (north Clinton) and Bellevue. The plot of the new town was recorded in Dubuque as this area was part of Dubuque county at the time, according History of Jackson County, Iowa, Volume 1 by James Whitcomb Ellis.

According to Island City Harbor's website, Sabula went through a few names before landing on the official town name. In 1837, Sabula was first called Carrollport. Residents of the town didn't like the name because there was a man's name who was Carroll who had a bad reputation. The town changed its name to Charleston, after early settler Charles Swan. The only issue was that there was already a town called Charleston in Iowa which caused much confusion.

In 1846 the settler’s decided to find a name. Island City Harbor's website says that because of it’s sandy soil, William Hubble suggested the town be called "Sabulum" which is Latin for sand. A party was being held around the time the town name was being discussed, when a woman, supposed to be Miss Harriet Hudson, suggested the town be called Sabula as it was easier to pronounce and sounded more elegant, according History of Jackson County, Iowa, Volume 1 by James Whitcomb Ellis.

Sabula did not actually become an island until 1939. According to Wikipedia, in the 1930's, the Army Corps of Engineers constructed the lock and dam system. In 1939, Lock and Dam No. 13 between Clinton, IA and Fulton, IL was built which caused the bottomlands west of the town permanently flooded. With the Mississippi River east of the town, this created the "Island City." A levee was built around Sabula in 1957 for protection, according to Island City Harbor's website. This also allowed for the south sand pit to be turned into a boat harbor.

I would like to thank my mom Beth, her fiancé Matt, my brother Nolan and my wife Ellie for accompanying me to Sabula. We always have a blast on our trips and this one was no exception.

It's now time to introduce you to Sabula, Iowa, Iowa's Island City.

Eastern Iowa Mansion For Sale For $1.75 Million Has Indoor Basketball Court

A home in eastern Iowa has hit the housing market and it literally has everything. This mansion in Cedar Rapids, IA comes with a heated in-ground pool, beautiful home movie theater, 5 bedrooms, and an indoor basketball court. The home is currently listed for $1,750,000.