Compete & Eat has become one of our most popular volunteer engagement opportunities, serving as the main kickoff event to our Annual Des Moines Hunger Fight. During Compete & Eat, 45 teams of 10 volunteers from various local businesses all participate in a friendly Hy-Vee sponsored competition to see who can package 2 boxes of meals the fastest. Following the competition, all participants then get to eat from small plates prepared by 12 top area Chefs as a part of their own Morsel Combat competition. All meals packaged feed hungry children in need.

During the week of October 6-10, Meals from the Heartland will be preparing to host our largest event of the year, our 19th annual Des Moines Hunger Fight. The goal of this event in 2026 is to engage over 4,000 community volunteers to help package 1.75 million nutritious meals in less than one week. Meals will be packaged onsite at the Patty Cownie packaging center, then distributed here locally to our neighbors in need and also to countries around the world where the hunger need is greatest. We would love to have you join us for either or both as we empower our community to help us feed starving children.

Compete & Eat 2026