We are strong proponents of supporting our local communities. Whenever there is a need, we try to help in any way we can. When COVID-19 started spreading across Iowa in early March, we knew it was our duty to help.
We searched through supplies in each department and pulled together a total of 2,000 N95 masks. The masks were distributed to six local hospitals in the surrounding communities of Northeast Iowa including: Regional Health Services (Cresco) , MercyOne (New Hampton), Winneshiek Medical Center (Decorah), Gundersen Lutheran (Decorah), Gundersen Palmer Lutheran (West Union), and Community Memorial (Sumner).
After the N95 masks were dispersed, we kept hearing about more healthcare facilities that were in need of face masks. We then decided to donate the materials for community members to make them; which then could be given to healthcare workers. “All of the employees at Reicks View Farms wanted to help. They helped make the face masks and had family members that were more than happy to sew them,” said Ashley Moore, Communications Coordinator.
The caring doesn’t stop there though. We are constantly trying to fulfill our mission of “Families Feeding Families.” As a family farm it is important to us that everyone in our community has access to nutritious food. When workers at the processing plants started to get sick we knew we had to come up with an alternative plan for our animals.
We decided the best way to give back to our community was to give 13,000 lbs of pork to 120 winners. We hoped this would especially help members in the community that were having financial difficulties during this time. We asked the winners that they would donate whatever they could to the Melissa Lea Reicks Foundation. Our Foundation supports hundreds of organizations across northeast Iowa.
With school closings, some students didn’t have food accessibility like they had at school. Reicks View Farms contacted the school districts that were continuing on their Backpack Program to provide food for these students and their families.
They also partnered with nine different local food banks that included the towns of New Hampton, Cresco, Decorah, Waukon, Riceville, Oran, and Waverly. Over 300 hams were donated to these food banks community members to have a ham just in time for Easter.