VAN METER, Iowa – To say that 2020 has been a difficult year is perhaps the greatest understatement of the year, so employees of a central Iowa mortgage lender wanted to help end 2020 on a positive note and make the Christmas season a bit brighter.
Each of the local business’ employees selected an organization or family to support with a $1,000 gift throughout the 25 days of Christmas, a project they called SpreadCheer.
Seven Dallas County residents, including mortgage loan originators Eric Schepers, Mark Engleman, Molly Maguire, Sara Fuller, Mike Draisey and Jason Pleggenkuhle and company president Chuck West, selected local charities and families in need through the program.
Three Dallas County charities — Good Samaritan Food Pantry and Crisis Intervention & Advocacy Center in Adel and Van Meter Athletic Booster Club’s “Bulldog Boost” — were selected as recipients of the holiday help.
“As a Backpack program volunteer, I’ve heard firsthand the stories of how important these meals are to food-insecure children in our community,” said Schepers, who chose to SpreadCheer to Good Samaritan Food Pantry in Adel. “No one wants children in our community to go hungry. When I first started to help, I wasn’t aware of how large of a need there was — and that need is greater today than it has ever been. That’s why it is so important to continue to support this wonderful program.”
The full list of #SpreadCheer recipients included:
1. Good Samaritan Food Pantry in Adel
2. University of Iowa Stead Family Children’s Hospital (UIHC)’s Child Life program
3. The Foxhoven Family of Des Moines
4. Angels for Sam
5. An Altoona Family
6. Van Meter Athletic Boosters’ Bulldog Boost
7. Patriot Guard Riders of Iowa
8. The Grav Family of Dell Rapids, S.D.
9. Food Bank of Siouxland
10. Little Al Foundation
11. Camp Quaker Heights
12. Angels Among Us (Omaha, Neb.)
13. Jackson Township Fire Department
14. The Free Store
15. Crisis Intervention and Advocacy Center
16. Cole Williamson of Adel
17. Bidwell Riverside Center/DMARC
18. Warrior Peyton of Norwalk
19. The Johansen Family of Urbandale
20. Scottish Rite Foundation of Omaha
21. Central Iowa FCA’s Training Table program
22. Fresh Start (Lincoln, Neb.)
23. 10 Oakridge Families in Need
24. Process Skateboard Ministry (Rapid City, S.D.)
25. Light the Night|Leukemia and Lymphoma Society-for The Quinn Family of Omaha
