2018 Volunteers of the Year

Deb Amdor and Karen Cushing are familiar faces at Midwest Food Bank Bloomington-Normal. Out of the thousands of volunteers, they are being recognized as our 2018 Volunteers of the Year, for going above and beyond in giving of their time and talent. 

Deb has an unrelenting dedication to data entry and took on the very big job of entering the volunteer agreements (thousands in 2018). Her presence at the front desk has been invaluable and she is always willing to go the extra mile. She covered the front desk when our regular staff person was out; she scrubbed data as we changed to a new system; and she handled bookkeeping for Midwest Food Bank Texas as the facility began. We offer our thanks to Deb. Her gift of her time and talents bless many. 

Karen always arrives at MFB with a smile. She contributes during our monthly distribution week and is a regular volunteer at our other distributions throughout the month. Karen's answer is, "If it needs done, I'll do it." So you'll regularly find her printing labels in the project service area so groups have a supply of them when bagging food or labeling cans. She regularly sweeps the warehouse and assists on the inventory data team. Karen is an active lead volunteer with our service groups and is a go-to person when a new volunteer joins us. Karen's devotion to MFB is a blessing to the many people we serve. 

It is often said that volunteers are the lifeblood of MIdwest Food Bank. By their dedication and hard work, MFB is able to keep employee costs low and turn over 99¢ of each dollar donated into aid for those struggling with food insecurity.