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A look at MFB Peoria’s distribution in Harlan, KY

June 7, 2023

What happens when you connect the resources of Midwest Food Bank and a corporate donation? 968 food boxes get delivered every week to people that live below the poverty line.

For several years MFB Peoria has delivered food to Harlan, Kentucky, where 43 percent of the population has an income below the poverty line. A semi of food is loaded at the warehouse, and volunteer driver Larry Kreeger and his wife, Deb, drive it to Harlan. This remote distribution works just like the monthly one at MFB. Nonprofit partner agencies come and receive food, free of charge, to support their ministry.

In 2022, MFB was approached by Amazon Logistics for Good to pilot a weekly food distribution in Harlan. MFB was selected for this program based on operational and volunteer efficiency and the fact that MFB Peoria had already established a food distribution in the area.

Amazon Logistics for Good funds the purchase of food and the cost of shipping. MFB procures and packages the food for distribution. When the food arrives, volunteers unload it and pack it into vans for home delivery. Click here for more information on our partnership with Amazon.

MFB Peoria Executive Director Audrey Kamm and Agency Coordinator Michelle Hatfield not only facilitated the planning of the food delivery but also went to Harlan and helped deliver the food boxes in April. They were able to participate in both the monthly agency distribution and ride along with the Amazon home-delivery drivers. “The most impactful part of the trip was riding along with the drivers delivering our meals and seeing where our boxes are going,” Audrey says.

“We are raising our three grandchildren and on social security,” said one recipient. “These boxes are a blessing to supplement our food budget.”

This pilot project started in February and could potentially extend to other MFB locations.