A Hillbilly Perspective

Yesterday, I worked in Aplington with a group of volunteers from Tyson’s Waterloo plant, feeding hungry bikers ribeye sandwiches, pulled pork sandwiches and hot dogs. This is the bunch that raised $50,000 for last year’s Powering the Spirit campaign to raise money for childhood hunger relief in their community. They’re joining fellow Iowa Tyson Team Members in raising what will no doubt be an even larger sum for agencies in the RAGBRAI towns across the state.

Corn. More corn than an Ozark guy can even think about. Remember the first time you saw the ocean and were awestruck by water as far as the eye could see? Same thing with corn out here in central Iowa. It becomes easier to understand how the U.S. has been feeding the world. And harder to understand how we let people go hungry in this country.

Bicycles. This RAGBRAI thing is something else one has to see to fully comprehend its scope. Yesterday in Aplington, the bikers started coming in at around eight in the morning, and were still rolling through when we closed our food booth at 3pm. Road bikes, mountain bikes, cruisers, recumbents, tandems, trios, quads, bikers in costume, bikes with trailers, sound systems; if you can imagine it, someone’s probably riding it in RAGBRAI. Nobody can accurately describe the experience of seeing ten to fifteen thousand bicyclists.

Heart. I figure geography had something to do with naming it “America’s Heartland.” But I might submit that the spirit of the people I’ve met out here fully validates the moniker. These are great folks. Hard-working. Friendly. Caring. Productive. I’ve run into a bunch of big-hearted people out here. More about that later. All week long a lot of them, our fellow Tyson Team Members, have been volunteering their own time, doing hot, hard, physically demanding work to help feed hungry children they’ll probably never meet. I can’t tell you how proud I am to be associated with them.

Ed

Wednesday-July 25th

Today was an incredible day in Iowa. The Food Bank of Iowa in Des Moines received over 70,000 pounds of protein. This means over 280,000 meals for families in Iowa. http://www.wcfcourier.com/articles/2007/07/26/news/metro/1b99be410e4a0c1786257323004376a6.txt

Then it was on to Stout, Aplington and ending in Cedar Falls to cook for hungry riders as they ended their day. Cedar Falls saw one of the largest crowds ever, over 25,000 people all ready to celebrate the ride and see Blues Traveler and Lance Armstrong.

Both were worth the heat and crowds. Today, team members from Waterloo cooked their hearts out for children in the Cedar Valley with the NE Iowa Food Bank, Salvation Army and Kid Quest benefiting from thousands of riders and visitors to the Unidome! The highlight of the evening.....an inspirational Lance Armstrong and the great singer/harmonica player John Popper from Blues Traveler. We have quite a following now, so repeat customers are welcome. Tomorrow morning....on to Independence.

Tuesday, July 24th. On to Clarion, Iowa for steak sandwiches and more great protein to fuel the riders. The beneficiaries for today's proceeds are the children of Kids Korner. Team members from Perry were quick to get the grill fired up so riders could have their favorite sandwich! In addition, another food donation was made to help feed hungry Iowans. The NE Iowa Food Bank was the recipient of two truckloads of protein to help agencies in the Cedar Falls/Waterloo and surrounding areas. Food bank employees and volunteers, our drivers and complex manager Mike Grothe were all on hand for the donation celebration. Tomorrow.....on to the Unidome.......has anyone seen Lance?

Monday, July 23rd.....We were up with the chickens and team members from Storm Lake provided support in the small town of Webb. What started out very slow turned into a giant party of bikes and riders standing in line for their daily dose of protein. Jorge Sandoval and his grilling team did not disappoint with egg and cheese omelets and sausage wrapped in flour tortillas. Then on to hot dogs for the late breakfast crowd! Riders were standing in line 200 deep to get their daily Tyson fix of protein. We definitely have a loyal following and look forward to seeing our new friends as they ride across Iowa.

Team Phat Kids posed for a photo opportunity. They all met at a ranch and worked together and now ride together from all over the country.

Day 2 - Moneta , Iowa

The town of Moneta has four houses and a heart the size of Chicago.

Today Team Tyson made friends with neighbors in Moneta. After spending the night with Spencer, Iowa resident Cathy Wright, we were ready to cook and serve thousands of riders. Team members from Cherokee did not disappoint and showed us how much fun we could have, flagging down riders as they peddled down the highway looking for a cold drink and something to give them energy. By 2:00 p.m., all you could see was a sea of riders and team Cherokee cooked and served making sure everyone had something to eat. This picture was taken in the middle of our set up behind the Everly Bull. In the red t-shirt, our local hostess for the evening, Cathy Wright who let three of us stay in her home and enjoy the true RAGBRAI experience.Cherokee team members and community relations manager Judy McElroy got our hunger message out to the masses as riders pulled into Moneta.Cherokee team members cooking steak sandwiches, hot dogs and pulled pork sandwiches. Today's sales will benefit children in Cherokee, Iowa! Friends and fellow volunteers stop by for some protein and a rest along the route.

Tyson Team Images from Day One - Rock Rapids

Foodbanks across Iowa will receive enough protein for one million meals; feeding events and fundraisers will help hunger relief agencies along the RAGBRAI route. Team Tyson is geared up in Rock Rapids to get off to a great start.

Team Tyson starts out in Rock Rapids cooking up dogs and pork sandwiches to get riders who are participating in RAGBRAI "Powered Up" before the race.

Day One brought out The National Guard to help the Tyson Team when our grill would not cooperate.

A happy family enjoying a hot dog before the big event

Hefty Donation

Food Bank of Siouxland Receives Hefty Donation
The Food Bank of Siouxland’s meat locker is well stocked now thanks to a big donation.

http://www.kpth.com/news/8632862.html

Tyson Foods Team Update - Day One - Rock Rapids

Rock Rapids is a great town. With the help of our military friends we got started at noon serving free hot dogs and pork sandwiches. Our favorite customer is a black lab named Abbey. So far we have powered over 3,000 riders with protein for the ride. We have met three folks from CANADA. Hundreds continue to pour in as the great ride gets closer.

On The Road

Today, bikers participating in RAGBRAI began their week long journey across Iowa. Tyson Foods is going along for the ride, working to alleviate hunger across the state by donating protein to foodbanks and holding feeding events to raise money for local hunger relief programs in communities along the RAGBRAI route.