While last month's World Food Prize ceremony in Des Moines focused on global hunger initiatives, hundreds of Iowans also gathered before the event to share strategies for helping feed local families in need.

A record 780 people attended the fifth annual Iowa Hunger Summit Oct. 13, sponsored by the Iowa Farm Bureau and FBL Financial. The summit highlights local efforts to fight hunger both at home and abroad.

Ambassador Kenneth Quinn, pres­­ident of the World Food Prize Foundation, said the idea to launch the Iowa Hunger Summit came from a panel discussion during the World Food Prize. One of the panelists, who...