My Veteran Hero program honors veterans with a free hat customized with an embroidered emblem representing each veteran’s military branch.
Media Contact:
Laura Noehren
(641) 316-3293
lnoehren@iowaselect.com
WEST DES MOINES, Iowa (September 5, 2025) – The Deb and Jeff Hansen Foundation is proud to unveil its latest initiative honoring veterans – the My Veteran Hero Hat.
Through the My Veteran Hero Program, this hat was designed specifically to honor veterans as a small, yet meaningful way to say thank you to the veterans who have served our country.
“The hat is a symbol of our collective gratitude for the brave men and women who have served our country,” says Laura Noehren, Foundation Program Manager, Deb and Jeff Hansen Foundation, Iowa Select Farms. “We believe in standing behind those who once stood for us. Their courage gave us freedom, and our gratitude is unwavering.”
All are encouraged to nominate an Iowa Veteran with past military service (not those currently serving), who either reside in Iowa or are from Iowa. Nominations are open to all veterans, regardless of branch or era of service. This program is free for both nominators and nominees. Nominate your veteran hero at: https://www.iowaselect.com/foundation/my-veteran-hero/
When your veteran receives their hat, a card will be enclosed letting the veteran know who nominated them.
In addition to the My Veteran Hero program, the Deb and Jeff Hansen Foundation has a longstanding tradition of honoring military personnel through annual donation programs like Pork Care Packages, Project: Food and Fellowship, and Pork for Patriots. In 2024, the My Veteran Hero program gave out more than 2,500 gifts, sending apparel to 91 Iowa counties. Since 2022, more than 5,100 Iowa veterans have been recognized through the program.
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About the Deb and Jeff Hansen Foundation
The Hansens, who founded Iowa Select Farms and New Modern Concepts in Iowa Falls, Iowa, established the Deb and Jeff Hansen Foundation in 2006 to relieve hunger, support military families and strengthen efforts to find a cure for childhood cancer while improving the quality of life for cancer patients. In 2023, the Foundation donated over 2.6 million dollars to efforts that impacted over 1 million families across all 99 counties in Iowa. Learn more at iowaselect.com/foundation.
About Iowa Select Farms
Iowa Select Farms is the largest pork producer in Iowa and is committed to responsibly producing safe, nutritious and high-quality pork for their customers and the food companies they serve. The company has 242,000 sows and annually produces more than one billion pounds of pork. With 800 swine farms across the state, Iowa Select Farms is one of the leading economic engines to Iowa’s rural communities through employing more than 1,200 people, contracting with more than 650 farmers and supporting hundreds of local businesses throughout the state.
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