A panel of judges critiqued entries in the Food Bank of Iowa Chopped — Hot Dish Edition contest at the Iowa State Fair last month. Participants were required to create casseroles using ingredients readily available at food pantries. Photo submitted by Food Bank of Iowa

A Winterset cook has won a new Iowa State Fair food competition designed to raise awareness of food insecurity. The Food Bank of Iowa Chopped — Hot Dish Edition challenged participants to create casseroles using foods readily available to food pantry clients. Olivia Smith was named the winner of the contest, and was awarded a blue ribbon and a $1,000 cash provide provided by sponsor Nationwide. Smith’s “Family Favorite Skillet Casserole” included ground pork, Tater Tots, vegetables, a cream sauce and seasonings. Recipes created for the contest will be collected in a digital cookbook, which will be available to Food Bank of Iowa pantries and available for download at FoodBankIowa.org. With food insecurity at record levels, the Food Bank of Iowa continues to distribute more than a million pounds of food a month to help feed people struggling to make ends meet.

Iowa Stops Hunger is a yearlong Business Publications Corp. initiative to bring awareness and action to food insecurity in Iowa. Read additional stories on Iowastopshunger.com.