Feed Iowa First

Feed Iowa First's mission is to ‘Combat Food Insecurity Today and Tomorrow by Growing Food and Farmers'

01/24/2025

Feed Iowa First thinks you’re amazing! Tag someone and let them know how great they are in the comments!
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01/23/2025

Thanks to everyone who came out to visit us at the shop today for our spring cleaning and “garage sale”.We appreciated seeing some friendly faces, and making some new connections, despite the Iowa weather!
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01/20/2025

Today and always, Feed Iowa First honors Dr. King’s legacy. As our team reflects on Dr. King’s vision, we are emboldened by the hope for a more equitable society and recognize that there is more work to come.
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“Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter” – Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
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01/16/2025

Come by Feed Iowa First, Cedar Rapids from 10am-2pm on January 22nd for a garage sale! Great gardening supplies like pots, cultivators, and ECOLABs for discounted prices!
Can’t wait to see you at 1506 10th Street SE, Cedar Rapids!
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01/14/2025

Help us welcome Alora Kraus, Equitable Land Access Program Director for Feed Iowa First!
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An Iowa City native, Alora completed her bachelor’s in Biochemistry and a Certificate of Writing at the University of Iowa (2018). Her passion for travel and multicultural experiences took her to Germany in 2021, where she recently finished her master’s in Sustainable Resource Management with a specialization in Soils and Soil Management at the Technical University of Munich (2024).
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Alora became interested in food systems while volunteering at Iowa City’s CommUnity Food Bank, where she helped in-need community members put food on the table during four years of service. Her following volunteer work on ethical farms in New Mexico and Iowa, which nourished both the land and surrounding community by growing diverse produce using regenerative methods, set the course for her career. Alora is excited to bring her experiences and knowledge back to Iowa, where she will collaborate with Linn County’s underrepresented growers to meet the needs of their business and community. She envisions a local food system that is ethical, equitable, and sustainable.
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In her free time, Alora is a board game enthusiast and avid reader. She enjoys a wide array of sports, especially volleyball, climbing, and dancing. She’s particularly happy to spend more time again with her family—her parents, brother, and sister—who all currently call Iowa City home.
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01/02/2025

Happy New Year!
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Welcoming 2025 with gratitude for the memories behind us and excitement for all that lies ahead. Here's to new adventures, growth, and continuing to nourish our community! Happy New Year! ✨
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12/24/2024

Spreading the cheer from Feed Iowa First to you and your families!
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Wishing everyone a Happy New Year as we ring in 2025! We thank you all for an amazing year filled with growth and support in 2024!
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12/23/2024

The Feed Iowa First shop will be closed
from December 24-January 1 for the holiday season!
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We wish you the happiest of holidays! See you next
year!
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12/21/2024

Thank you Cedar Rapids Bank & Trust for your dedication to our community!

12/10/2024

Help support Nupolu Emerging Farms LLC! Meet Daruis Nupolu, a graduate of our Equitable Land Access program, Darius is looking for small loans from the community through Kiva to expand his inventory and take his agricultural business to the next level.
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Darius moved to Cedar Rapids in 2017 and noticed the high demand for local vegetables in the African community and decided to do something about it! He began growing Liberian bitterball, eggplant, okra, sweet potato vines, hot peppers, collards and cucumbers. Darius has a thriving business and is looking to continue to expand. Through Kiva, you help support Darius and Nupolu Emerging Farms LLC continued growth with donations as low as $25.
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Use this Link: https://www.kiva.org/lend/2890199?utm_source=borrower&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=borrower_driven

12/02/2024

📣 TOMORROW is Giving Tuesday!

🤲 This holiday season, help us provide fresh, nutrient-dense food to households experiencing food insecurity in Linn County! This year, we provided over 43,000 pounds of produce to 7 pantries in Linn County, 6 vegetable van stops, and 3 community fridges every week!
🥦 Make a difference with us, one vegetable at a time! Scan the QR code, visit feediowa1st.com/donate, or mail to "Feed Iowa First, PO Box 1190, Cedar Rapids, IA 52402."
🌱Donate at our Facebook Fundraising page: https://www.facebook.com/donate/848951800766667/
🌻 Every contribution goes a long way to secure our shared, local food system.
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11/29/2024

❄️ BRRR! We're bundled and ready to rumble!

🌨 This week, we rolled out to Wanatee farm and planted three rows of garlic—hoping to see how they turn out after the winter. These cold hardy plants are super easy to grow, and better yet—they stave off a few of the critters from munching on them due to the smell, making these perfect for a winter garden.

📣 Learn more on how to grow garlic in your own yard: https://joegardener.com/grow-garlic/

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11/27/2024

🦃 Happy Thanksgiving!

🍁 In honor of the holiday season, the Feed Iowa First shop will be closed November 28-29. We wish everyone a wonderful Thanksgiving and can't wait to see you again soon!

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11/24/2024

📣 Giving Tuesday is almost here!

🤲 This holiday season, help us provide fresh, nutrient-dense food to a household in Linn County! This year, we provided over 43,000 pounds of produce to 7 pantries in Linn County, 6 vegetable van stops, and 3 community fridges every week!

🥦 Make a difference with us, one vegetable at a time! Scan the QR code, visit feediowa1st.com/donate, or mail to "Feed Iowa First, PO Box 1190, Cedar Rapids, IA 52402."

🌻 Every contribution goes a long way to secure our shared, local food system.

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11/21/2024

🤲 Shoutout to Eco Lips! This is their 2nd year partnering with Feed Iowa First!

🫶 This year, they yielded over 400 pounds of produce—kale, kohlrabi, lettuce, and more—with 4 garden beds! We're incredibly grateful for their dedication to providing nutritious, local food for our community.

🌼 Thank you for all that you do and for giving us a wonderful tour of your organization!

📣 Find out more about what they do: https://ecolips.com/

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11/19/2024

📣 Cultivate change and grow food access in Linn County.

🌱 Provide 40,000+ pounds of fresh, nutrient-rich food to 14,000 households (on average) a year. Make a difference this Giving Tuesday, December 3, by securing our local food system and supporting families in our shared community.

🌟 Scan the QR code to send a gift, mail to "Feed Iowa First PO Box 1190
Cedar Rapids, IA 52402," or share out our campaign: https://www.facebook.com/donate/848951800766667/.

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11/18/2024

🥬 Get'cha heads in the game!

🎉 We know we got ours—all 233 of them! The chilly fall weather can't stop us now, together with the Rodale Institute (Marion, IA) we yielded over 764 pounds of cabbages—enough to fill a whole pickup truck!

🫶 We will be distributing these nourishing greens to our pantry partners at Catherine McAuley Center, Together We Achieve, Faith Lutheran Church - MarionFirst Baptist Church of Marion, and more!

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11/15/2024

🌟 Thank you, Isabel Schmidt, for your wonderful service at Feed Iowa First!

🌼 We witnessed your incredible growth throughout the summer and fall—and though it's always bittersweet to say farewell, we know you will go on to change the world, one seed or animal at a time! Good luck!

📣 A message from Isabel:

“I joined Feed Iowa First in May, as the Equitable Urban Growing Coordinator through AmeriCorps. This role served as my internship while studying Agricultural Sciences at Kirkwood Community College. While at Feed Iowa First, I maintained our urban growing sites and Wanatee Farm, gaining hands-on experience in nearly all aspects of the operation: soil preparation, planting, harvesting, distribution, and working with volunteers. One of my favorite parts of my role was assisting with distribution; it was incredibly rewarding to see the food I helped grow going to deserving members of the community.

During my internship, I acquired a wealth of knowledge about organic and sustainable farming, and I was exposed to culturally relevant fruits and vegetables that I had never seen before. The experiences I gained at Feed Iowa First are invaluable, and I will carry this knowledge into my future endeavors in the agriculture industry. Feed Iowa First has introduced me to amazing people in the community, and I am very thankful that I could be a part of this wonderful organization!”

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Address

1506 10th Street SE
Cedar Rapids, IA
52401

Telephone

+13197750149

Website

http://feediowa1st.com/homepage/get-involved/

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Videos

Leeks planted at Faith Lutheran Church

🥬 Leeks are coming in at our Faith Lutheran Church - Marion, IA urban site! 🌟 This summer we were able to harvest 126 pounds of leeks for distribution. Leeks— relatived to garlic and onion—are cold-tolerant greens, enriched with Vitamins A, K (for bone health), and B-6! Just like their allium counterparts, they're versatile in cooking; they're great for soups, salads, sauces, and more! 🥘 Learn more below: Food Encyclopedia - https://foodprint.org/real-food/leeks/ Web MD - https://www.webmd.com/diet/health-benefits-leeks 🌱 🌱 🌱 #leeks #foodfacts #harvest #greens #vegetables #farm #urbanfarm #farmlife #local #grower #garden #plants #nonprofit #iowa #cedarrapids #crops

Feed Iowa First Field Day Countdown

🌺 Join us at Wanatee Farm on Friday, September 13 from 8:00-11:00 AM for an educational field day! 🥝 Meet Feed Iowa First's Equitable Land Access (ELA) farmers to explore the diverse, unique crops they are cultivating and gain hands-on experience with culturally absent foods in our community. Following the networking event is a workshop about beginning quarterly and yearly tax class for beginning farmers; lunch is included for free. 🪷 This event is brought to you by Feed Iowa First in collaboration with Practical Farmers of Iowa. 🌟 Show us you're interested in attending and RSVP: https://engage.practicalfarmers.org/component/events/event/rsvp/121 🌼Learn more: https://www.feediowa1st.com/events-index/ 🌱 🌱 🌱 #wanatee #farm #farmlife #fieldday #education #iowa #cedarrapids #localgrowers #foodproduction #localfarmers #diversityequityinclusion #feediowafirst #nonprofit #pfi #practicalfarmersofiowa

👟 Only 9 more days until our Harvest Climb Walk/Run Fundraiser! We're excited to climb along the Mount Trashmore trail on Thursday, August 1 from 6:00-9:00 PM. 🌻 Come on down to the Mount if you love live bands, winning prizes, and supporting the community. If you haven't already registered, tickets are still available at https://www.zeffy.com/en-US/ticketing/d3d2031e-ce59-4b32-a68a-f62084b9ebb9 🌱 🌱 🌱 #event #fundraiser #eventsincr #cedarrapids #iowa #linncounty #climb #walk #run #prizes #nonprofit #supportingcommunity #donate #ticketslive

🥦 Remember to tie your cauliflower! Blanching is easy: just wait for the heads to show (about a month), grab the large leaves in a bundle, and use twine or rubber bands to firmly tie them together. After the cauliflower is ready to harvest, it will appear nice and white! 🌱 🌱 🌱 #blanching #cauliflower #marionmethodist #urbanfarm #farmlife #food #vegetable

🪴Transcript 🪴 Get ready with us, as we plant Smooth bitter melon seeds. Bitter melons are a squash-like delicacy throughout Asia and Africa. They have a tart flavor, and are bitter like the name suggests, but don't let that stop you from turning them into a tasty stew. For these melons are believed to have many medicinal benefits, including digestive relief, disease prevention, and skin and hair health. Here we are planting them in 2-inch soil blocks. You can make your own soil at home with compost materials, sand, and peat — to trap in moisture for the seed to grow. Soil blocking is a great way to reduce plastic waste because you can put the plants into the soil without using any pots. Thank you for learning with us today and stay tuned for more! 🌱 🌱 🌱 #seeds #bittermelon #foodfacts #fyp #nonprofit #seedstarting #education #gardening

Join us at @newbocitymarket for today's plant sale! We'll be sticking around until 1:00 PM. See you there! ♥️ ♥️ ♥️ #plantsale #locallygrown #newbo #cedarrapids #iowa

⭐ A calming morning at EcoLips - where we just put in four raised bed of kale and fennel. 🥬 Sound credits: Vibrancy by Kudasaibeats #gardening #irrigation #plantmom #nonprofit #iowa