World Food Prize receives $100,000 Legacy Grant from Prairie Meadows

March 16, 2009 - The World Food Prize Foundation’s plans to refurbish the historic century-old former Des Moines Public Library as the Norman E. Borlaug Hall of Laureates have received a $100,000 boost from Prairie Meadows Racetrack and Casino.

Prairie Meadows has identified the transformation of the former library into the Hall of Laureates as worthy of their community relations department’s Legacy Grant, which is designed to support “large-scale, signature projects in the central Iowa area.”

“We strongly believe in the mission of the World Food Prize, which is to recognize and inspire those who have made significant contributions to the fight against global hunger,” said Gary Palmer, President/CEO of Prairie Meadows Racetrack and Casino, Inc. “The Norman E. Borlaug Hall of Laureates will be a place for central Iowans, and visitors from around the world, to learn about the challenges and advancements in providing adequate food for a growing world.”

In addition to the $100,000 Legacy Grant, Prairie Meadows has also awarded the World Food Prize Foundation with a Community Betterment grant in the amount of $10,000.

The Hall of Laureates is named in honor of Iowa native Norman Borlaug, who was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his role in saving the lives of upwards of one billion people as the “Father of the Green Revolution.” The Hall will honor Dr. Borlaug, along with the World Food Prize Laureates and Iowa’s agricultural and humanitarian pioneers, for their significant contributions to the global fight against hunger. Open to the public, it will serve as a museum to recognize great achievements in agriculture and as an educational facility featuring interactive displays on hunger and global food security. The Hall will host the annual Borlaug Dialogue international symposium, a new national Youth Institute program, and conference and community events for other local groups and organizations.  Conceptual sketches can be found here.

With the $100,000 commitment from Prairie Meadows, the World Food Prize has now secured $21.1 million of the total $29.8 million needed to complete the project. The Norman E. Borlaug Hall of Laureates is scheduled to be completed in early 2011.