By Ed Nicholson
I monitor social media for what gets said about Tyson Foods. Yesterday there was a tweet from someone who said "Can't wait to be done with this bag of [Tyson] chicken so I can move on to something from a company that isn't so evil."
I don't know what prompted the comment (at least it appeared she was going to eat the chicken). But I wish she could have been with me the last three days.
You see, "Tyson Foods" isn't a cloistered few who control the puppet strings of shadowy empire. It's 117,000 people all around the world. And since Sunday, I've been with some of the best in the world. People from Tyson operations in Nebraska and Iowa who've volunteered their time to come out in the Iowa July heat to cook and sell food to riders in the annual RAGBRAI event. And donate the proceeds to hunger relief. Some were up 'til midnight in Storm Lake last night. Others setting up in Varina at 4:00 a.m. today. In the past three days, more than six thousand meals have been fed to RAGBRAI riders.
It's a big healthy dose of Heartland heart and a work ethic that will wear you to the ground if you try to keep pace with it. We try not to make this blog too self-centered, but every once in a while I have to brag on these folks. I'm proud of 'em.
Thanks to the people who've worked the past three days and the ones who''ll work the next five.
You can see their photos below or on Flickr. We'd also be honored if you'd follow Tyson Hunger Relief on Facebook.
Dakota City/ Dakota Dunes
Dakota City/ Dakota Dunes