DYERSVILLE, IOWA~ A place made famous by baseball became the setting for another kind of dream this week~ helping put food on the tables of families who need it.
More than 140 volunteers gathered Wednesday at Iowa’s iconic Field of Dreams movie site in Dyersville, rolling up their sleeves to pack 12,000 meals in just two hours.
The effort brought together volunteers from John Deere, Major League Baseball, River Bend Food Bank and Bodensteiner Implement Company as part of MLB Together, Major League Baseball’s community outreach initiative.
And this time, the teamwork happening near the ballfield wasn’t about runs on a scoreboard.
It was about meals.
The John Deere Foundation and Major League Baseball funded approximately 20,000 pounds of food, which will be distributed by River Bend Food Bank through its network of more than 400 food pantries and meal programs serving communities across eastern Iowa and western Illinois.
The need is significant. River Bend Food Bank reports that approximately one in seven people in the region may not always have enough food to eat.
Some of the John Deere employees participating in the event had been nominated by their fellow workers because of the time and effort they already give volunteering within their own communities.
The event was part of the activities surrounding the 2026 MLB at Field of Dreams Game and reflected a much bigger effort by Major League Baseball this year. Through MLB Together, the league has pledged to reach 250,000 volunteer service hours during 2026, recognizing the 250th anniversary of the United States.
Before Wednesday’s meal-packing effort, the initiative had already accumulated nearly 230,000 volunteer hours.
The John Deere Foundation is also contributing $100,000 to Feeding America, with additional charitable support connected to home runs hit during Thursday night’s Field of Dreams game between the Minnesota Twins and Philadelphia Phillies.
Baseball has always been about bringing people together.
For a couple of hours in an Iowa cornfield this week, though, gloves and bats weren’t what mattered most.
It was hundreds of hands working together~ filling boxes, packing meals and helping make sure thousands of neighbors have something to put on the table.
Now that’s a field worth dreaming about.
Word ’Round Town
Source information: John Deere and Major League Baseball; reporting by KCRG/KTIV. Event information verified August 14, 2026.
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