Posted July 2, 2013
July 20 event benefits the Iowa Food Bank Association
The third annual “Fields of Champions” Family Cookout, celebrating food and farming and benefiting the Iowa Food Bank Association, will be a highlight of the Summer Iowa Games Opening Ceremony Saturday, July 20, in Ames.
The event is free and open to the public. Donations will benefit the IFBA and support Iowans in need of food assistance.
“We are proud to be the presenting sponsor of the Iowa Games,” says Aaron Putze, coordinator of the Iowa Food & Family Project, which sponsors the event. “This family event is a great way to highlight the important connection between healthy activities, healthy food and the farmers who contribute to a healthy state.”
“Fields of Champions” sponsors include the Iowa Beef Industry Council, Iowa Egg Council, Iowa Pork Producers Association, Iowa Select Farms, Iowa Soybean Association, Midwest Dairy Association, The Soyfoods Council, United Soybean Board, Hiland Dairy Foods, Swiss Valley Farms and Iowa Food Bank Association.
Iowa farmers will be on hand throughout the celebration to talk about what they do and answer questions about food and farming. Kids of all ages can pick up a ‘Zone Score Card’ that will send them through a series of interactive stations to learn about food and farming. Participants will then take the card to ‘The End Zone’ to register for prizes, including a $1,000 scholarship and an iPad mini.
The action begins at 4:30 p.m. in the parking lots around Jack Trice Stadium on the Iowa State University campus. The meal — featuring beef and pork burgers, soy snacks, eggs on a stick, yogurt, fruit and milk — will serve 2,200 people and is provided for a free-will donation.
In addition to the meal, the “Fields of Champions” celebration features entertainment including inflatable games, face painting, balloon artists and more kid-friendly activities. The incredible ACRODUNK team, as seen on past seasons of America’s Got Talent, will entertain the crowd with gravity-defying flipping, dunking and dancing. YouTube sensations, the Peterson Farm Bros, will perform their hit “I’m Farming and I Grow It” and be available for photos and autographs.
The Iowa Food & Family Project (www.facebook.com/foodnfamilies) is dedicated to uniting Iowans in conversations about today’s farms and food system through personal engagement and advocacy. It proudly serves as presenting sponsor of the Iowa Games and supporter of Live Healthy Iowa and is funded in part by the Soybean Checkoff.
For more information, go to www.iowafoodandfamily.com.