It seems unlikely that a church based in North Carolina would have something to do with a Kapu Africa (Midwest Food Bank East Africa) volunteer event. Yet it happened during Elevation Church's outreach, "Love Week." Elevation Church in Matthews, NC, Has members who watch services from around the world. Their "Love Week" is a concerted eff...

Midwest Food Bank is pleased to announce the hire of Nate Westerfield as our new IT Director. He began at MFB on September 7 and will work part-time through October. Beginning November 1, he will transition to full-time and be located in Morton, IL division. Nate brings more than 20 years of IT experience to MFB. Most recently, Nate has served as t...

Midwest Food Bank has been actively responding to disasters in 2021. Hurricanes Henri and Ida are the latest opportunities MFB has had to support disaster victims in the US. Hurricane Ida formed on August 23, a notable date in hurricane history. Midwest Food Bank began offering Disaster Relief with Hurricane Katrina, which formed on the same date i...

Midwest Food Bank values our donors, and we make effective use of every gift with integrity. We frequently receive questions about various ways to give to MFB, and one mechanism – IRA Qualified Charitable Distribution - is a way that benefits donors and MFB. Making an IRA Qualified Charitable Distribution (QCD) You can donate up to $100,000 in...

One of our newer nonprofit partnerships is with Vote Jesus (Jesus is the Answer - World Outreach Ministries). Helping the families of the differently abled is the main focus of Vote Jesus. These disabilities include cerebral palsy, muscular dystrophy, and amputations. They also support a population of neglected elderly people. Vote Jesus is a ...

Midwest Food Bank values our donors and we steward every gift with integrity. We frequently receive questions about various ways to give to MFB and one mechanism - Donor-Advised Funds - is a way donors have partnered with MFB to achieve their giving goals and benefit our mission. A Donor-Advised Fund (DAF) is a type of giving program that allows yo...

Young and old, child and adult, we all love celebrating a birthday! At Midwest Food Bank, we enjoy celebrating with you. Here are 5 ways we equip you to celebrate your own birthday or someone else's: 1. Tribute Gift: When you donate online, you can make your gift a tribute to celebrate a birthday. Midwest Food Bank will send a card to the person yo...

Midwest Food Bank has again received a coveted four-star rating from Charity Navigator, the nation's top charity evaluator. MFB has received this recognition every year since 2011. Only 4% of charities are given a four-star rating for nine consecutive years. The rating is based on MFB's demonstration of robust financial health a...

The passion of the Midwest Food Bank employees and volunteers is contagious. Just ask Jan Murphy, a Midwest Food Bank Share Partner (a donor offering a regularly scheduled contribution). She is the former Vice President of Academic Affairs and Provost at Illinois State University in Normal, Illinois. In 2018, ISU President, Larry Dietz, encour...

For street children in East Africa, there is somewhere to go. It's called The Desirable Place, an organization that is tackling the many obstacles these children face. When The Desirable Place started in 2018 they wanted to feed street children with food and the Gospel. They learned that feeding them was just the beginning. These children lack shel...

"He raises up the poor from the dust; he lifts the needy from the ash heap to make them sit with princes and inherit a seat of honor." 1 Samuel 2:8 "God, my life is very hard," Joseph prayed, "but I know you have a future for me." The circumstances in young Joseph Njuguna's life were harsh. Living on the streets to escape an abu...

At Midwest Food Bank, Share Partners make a continual positive impact. They donate a set amount on a regular schedule - weekly, monthly, or quarterly. If you think our Share Partners are all wealthy retirees giving huge amounts, we'd like to introduce you to Allysha. Allysha Nordyke lives in Los Angeles, CA, and works for the government. She i...

While the impact of the Coronavirus Relief bill of March 2020 had far-reaching effects, there is a lesser-known benefit in the bill. It's a benefit that helps charitable givers AND charities $300 Charitable Giving Deduction Taxpayers who don't itemize their deductions (that's most of us) can take advantage of a special $300 tax deduction. In t...

Differently-abled children (those with special needs and disabilities) face great hardship in the Kibera slum of Nairobi. They are often left at home while parents struggle to find daily work. Kapu Africa is blessed to partner with a nonprofit agency that includes the differently-abled in their ministry. We give them Tender Mercies, our nutritious ...

Midwest Food Bank congratulates the World Food Programme for receiving the 2020 Nobel Peace Prize. We are thankful for the efforts of the WFP and fully agree that their impact is worthy of this world-class recognition. WFP is a leading humanitarian organization and addresses hunger and promotes food security worldwide. In 2019, WFP provided assista...

Today, October 16, is World Food Day. It's an internationally recognized day in honor of the founding of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations in 1945. It's celebrated by organizations concerned with food insecurity. World Food Day meshes well with of mission of alleviating hunger. This year's theme, "Grow, Nourish, Sustain. T...

Every industry has a "language" and food banks are no different. At Midwest Food Bank we use words like "hunger" and "food insecurity" on a regular basis. But, what do those words really mean? Hunger – This is a physical condition that is caused by a lack of food. Food Insecurity – The USDA defines this as the "lack of consistent access to enough f...

Recently Kapu Africa (Midwest Food Bank East Africa) received a generous donation of over 2,500 cups of yogurt from Kenyan-based donors Brookside Dairy. The donation came during a perilous time when millions in East Africa are facing poverty and starvation, unlike anything they have known before. Kapu Africa delivered Brookside Dairy...

Here is a moving letter of gratitude Kapu Africa (Midwest Food Bank East Africa) received from Andrew and Ruth Ouma of Hope Community School: Kibera, the largest informal settlement in Africa is home to over 1.5 million people who are now staring at death due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Most of the slum dwellers live from hand to mouth – th...

The Disabled Empowerment Society of Kenya (DIESK) has been reaching out to families of disabled people in Nairobi. Food insecurity is severe for those too disabled to work. The COVID pandemic has exacerbated the situation. DIESK carefully maps out households most at risk. Tender Mercies meals donated by Kapu Africa are given to these families. In a...