​Two volunteers recently chose to celebrate their birthdays with a "party" at Midwest Food Bank Peoria. It's heart-warming to host celebrations centered around helping those in need.

Madison Hieser volunteered at MFB Morton a few months ago. When planning a party for her 16th birthday, she couldn't think of a better party than sharing her serving experience with her friends.

"They were a great group," say volunteer ambassadors Steve and Dot. "It was easy to host these young ladies."

Madison and her friends


Sudheer Sajja choose to use his birthday as a chance to give back, too. In honor of his 40th birthday, Sudheer came in with his wife, Rajani, and his twin daughters, Anvi and Saanvi, to donate food. 

The donation totaled 297 pounds (about 32 cases), which will be distributed this week. The Sajjas have donated in the past, but this year, they challenged their extended family to donate, too. They are hoping the family responds with even more donations.

Sudheer and Rajani are intentional about teaching their daughters the importance of serving those in need. Having not seen our newly renovated space, we gave them a tour. The young girls asked some great questions. It's wonderful to see young people learn about our mission.

The Sajja family unloads their donation.