116 3rd St SE
Cedar Rapids, Iowa 52401
Green Square Meals closing briefly after dumpster fire
Feb. 24, 2026 4:31 pm
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CEDAR RAPIDS — Green Square Meals, a nonprofit in downtown Cedar Rapids that provides evening meals to people, is closing briefly after a Tuesday fire in the dumpsters outside the building, 605 Second Ave. SE.
The fire was called in at 2:14 p.m. and put out quickly, according to the Cedar Rapids Fire Department.
“If anybody saw anything, it’d be great to report it. … We don’t throw anything hot away. It’s usually cooled down quite a bit before we even leave,” Jill Hemann, the director of Green Square Meals, said. “I don’t know that we’ll ever really find out the cause.”
The fire didn’t reach the inside of the building, but there was smoke damage, Hemann said.
The nonprofit is planning to hire a company to clear out the damage so that operations can continue as soon as possible She said she hopes it won’t take more than a week, but that she doesn’t know for sure.
“I’m hoping that they can get in here right away and get it done, and we can be back in business,” Hemann said.
Comments: (319) 398-8328; emily.andersen@thegazette.com
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