UNI staff and students join community volunteers to Pack the Dome for food-insecure children

Each year, UNI staff and students join Cedar Valley community members, businesses, legislators and more to pack non-perishable goods for food-insecure children of northeast Iowa as part of an annual event called Pack the Dome. This Day of Service, which falls on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, is a partnership among the Northeast Iowa Food Bank, Volunteer Center of the Cedar Valley, the UNI Office of Community Engagement, Panther Pantry (UNI’s food bank for students) and AmeriCorps.

This continues to be the largest volunteer event in the Cedar Valley year after year. On January 20, more than 1,500 volunteers packed more than 75,000 bags of food. These bags cover half of the Northeast Iowa Food Bank’s distribution to 159 schools throughout 16 Iowa counties, benefitting about 3,000 children. 

“Pack the Dome is a great way to kick off the new year,” said Kristina Kofoot, assistant director of the Office of Community Engagement. “We are able to honor the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. while coming together to provide for the youth in need in our community. The work at this event helps set up the Northeast Iowa Food Bank to focus on other time-sensitive projects throughout the year rather than just on packs. We're incredibly excited that UNI has the opportunity to be a part of making this event a success.”