What’s the power of a thank you? For many men and women who have served in the U.S. military, it can be life changing. Ten years ago, father and son, Jason and Bernie Becker founded Hunting With Heroes Lakota in northern Iowa to give back to the nation’s veterans.
Each year, Hunting with Heroes hosts active duty wounded warriors from the U.S. Marine Corps on an all-expenses paid hunting trip through some of Iowa’s finest acres. The five-day experience culminates in a Veterans Appreciation Banquet, during which the 200-person town welcomes 600 veterans and their spouses, families and friends from all over, to express their gratitude.
The organization runs on the support of northern Iowa’s farming communities and sponsors like Land O’Lakes member cooperative MaxYield.
For MaxYield’s Chad Meyer, the opportunity to honor veterans fuels the reason his co-op has continued to support Hunting with Heroes since its beginning: “It’s something that someone like my father and many, many veterans never had an opportunity to have — which was to have somebody say thank you.”