In what was a trying 70th anniversary for Vermeer Corporation, employees came together to collect thousands of pounds of food for those in need throughout central Iowa.

Chaplain Shawna Beeman tells KRLS News the spirit of giving was renewed this year among staff at Vermeer, after a tornado devastated their campus in July. Beeman says many of the employees who are giving to the food drive this winter had to utilize a food pantry themselves after temporary unemployment.

Beeman says their goal this year was to collect over 70,000 pounds of food for the company’s 70th anniversary, which was the amount they also gathered last winter for over a dozen area food shelves.

92.1 KRLS was broadcasting live from Vermeer Friday morning, sharing the stories of those taking part in the effort.