"Sure thing, I can do that." That's how volunteer Karl Hasel responds when asked to help with something. After 45 years as an aerospace engineer designing advanced jet engines, he shares his retirement time with MFB New England. He's part of the "Tuesday morning crew" that gets work done, week in and week out."Karl has been one of the reasons ...
Midwest Food Bank began an organization-wide focus on safety in 2021. Rather than being a one-time effort, this initiative is ongoing with specific goals. It was an opportunity to evaluate and strengthen safety measures already in place. Mike Hoffman, MBF's Inventory and Logistics Director, leads the safety initiative. "Providing a safe work e...
Midwest Food Bank Values include Embrace Our Communities and Empowering Volunteers. One of the ways we do this is by providing clean, efficient, safe, and comfortable gathering places. At MFB, we work hard to maintain clean, inviting warehouses. To keep them well maintained and organized, we have standards, prioritize investment, and have safety co...
Haiti lurches deeper into crisis with no improvement in security, and the flow of food, fuel, and humanitarian aid is hampered at every turn. A silent, disheartening, and largely faceless new suffering is now emerging. Haiti's prisons are renowned for their brutality and overcrowding. Men and women often languish for years befor...
Sally Agalo Kwenda is the group secretary of Stoma World Kenya, a group founded in 2010 to provide patients living with ileostomies, urostomies, and colostomies with essential care and support. She represents the group in the Kenya network of cancer survivors. Sally is also a three-time cancer survivor and ostomate. Sally is inspired...
If you've traveled the world, speak multiple languages, and participated in the Junior Olympics, what is left for you to do? Why, volunteer at MFB Texas, that's what. Tonja Amos began volunteering at MFB Texas in November 2021 on a pallet building team. She now helps lead and coordinate those teams. She's happy to be able to volunteer&nbs...
Each year, generous givers support MFB Normal through various fundraising events. Warmer summer weather brings the opportunity to hold these events outdoors while pursuing fun activities. Here are some recent FUNdraising events. Golf Outing. Held at the Den at Fox Creek in Bloomington on June 17, the golf outing raised nearly $2...
Across all 2,200 partner agencies served by all 12 MFB locations, it is clear that every agency serves its own unique population of people in need. But one thing that most agencies have in common is the current rise in the need for food. Our partner agencies are experiencing a 25% increase in demand for their services. Our rural pantries are n...
One of many volunteer positions at Midwest Food Bank is the role of Advisory Board members. These people share their expertise and time to help shape and direct the local MFB location they serve. Midwest Food Bank Morton welcomes four new advisory board members - Sue Neihouser, Justin Pflederer, Javier Salazar, and Mary Staple. Their comm...
Every volunteer has a story about why they serve at Midwest Food Bank. For Duane and Cheryl Whitlow, their story includes a history of volunteerism and a unique love story. Prior to meeting each other and serving at MFB, both Duane and Cheryl believed in service to the community. Duane coached and mentored individuals with personal finance matters ...
Midwest Food Bank donors are not only generous but creative. They come up with various ways to raise money and awareness for MFB. Tony Escobar, a representative of Thrivent, has a history of supporting organizations that provide food to people in need, and he looks for ways to get that done. He recently hosted a French cooking ...
COVID-19 changed a lot of things, and food pantries had to adjust. For Share the Meals in Fayetteville, Georgia, that meant shifting their services. Before 2020, Share the Meals used the food from MFB to create meals to feed the homeless. During the pandemic, they altered their service to pack food boxes that are delivered bi-monthly to ...
"All in" is how Brent Carl describes an energetic volunteer at Midwest Food Bank New England. That volunteer is Linda Spinelli, and she started volunteering after a tour given by Brent, the Volunteer and Community Relations Manager at MFB. This was during the "open to the community" volunteer events. "From the moment she came to volu...
Interacting with people and laughter are two of Krystle Whitley's favorite things. That makes her an excellent fit for her role at Midwest Food Bank, Pennsylvania. Krystle joined the staff in July as the resource and volunteer administrator. Before coming to MFB, she worked at the Salvation Army doing direct client services. "We are excited to...
Tender Mercies meals are designed by dieticians to be more than a rice and beans meal. There is nutrition in every bag. Every serving of Tender Mercies has: • The calcium of one glass of milk• The iron of two and a half cups of spinach.• The potassium of two bananas.• The protein of 3 ounces of fish. With such a nutritious product, MFB wondere...
Give a group of energetic teenagers some paint brushes, and before you know it, a project is done. That's what happened this summer when about 30 police officers and teens, ages 14-18, from the Mesa Youth Leadership Academy volunteered at Midwest Food Bank Arizona. The group painted the curbing, parking lines, and safety zones at MFB's parking...
After Scot Buss finished college in Minnesota, he got in his car and drove to Florida, even though he had never been there before. Now, 25 years later, he is still enjoying the sunshine and is using his sales background to assist Midwest Food Bank Florida. Scot has joined the Florida staff as the Marketing and Development Manager. "I'm ex...
Sometimes things go full circle. For Alisa Robb, it happened with Froot Loops. Alisa heard about Midwest Food Bank and volunteer opportunities through friends. So, when she retired after 30 years as an occupational therapy assistant she started volunteering at MFB Peoria doing packing projects. Often MFB receives food in bulk amounts and volu...
It's about the long haul for The Creek Church in Indianapolis. The pantry provides food assistance to people with long-term needs and connects them with other services like financial coaching, housing, addiction support, or other human services. Volunteers at The Creek also invest in building relationships by meeting with small grou...
"I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me." Matthew 25:35-36In Bridgeport, CT, people of all ages and circumstances have access to food...
