Neighbor Girls Group joins Operation Give Birds to hand out 30 Thanksgiving meals

REAL DUBUQUE NEWS (RDN) Operation Give Birds is back for Thanksgiving, and the Iowa Giving Crew is expanding its partnerships this year. According to KCRG, the Neighbor Girls Group, a new southwest Wisconsin-based nonprofit organization, is joining the Iowa Giving Crew to give out 30 Thanksgiving meals. The group formed in 2025 in rural southwest Wisconsin, when Laurie Runde, Kiera Kohl and dozens of others came together to help neighbors in need. In its first year, the group raised more than $15,000. Runde, the group's president, said the group wants to be part of helping neighbors through hard times. Kohl said the work is very rewarding. Chelsey Kunkel of Hazel Green, Wisconsin, was among the neighbors the group helped, receiving a care package at her door after she was diagnosed with Hodgkin lymphoma.