It's that time of year again. Articles with titles like "Top ten gifts for Dad" show up. They appear for a reason. It can be difficult finding a meaningful gift for a parent. Forgive us for adding one more suggestion to the mix. Some truly unique and purposeful time spent with Dad would be a gift to both the giver and recipient. What dad wouldn't a...
The Midwest Food Bank central team welcomes a new bookkeeper to our team: Julie Bakewell. Julie will be assisting on the central and Haiti MFB accounts. She will be working out of the Bloomington-Normal location. Julie comes to Midwest Food Bank with many years of experience in accounting and non-profit work. They include time spent at State Farm a...
Dear Friend of Midwest Food Bank, What an extraordinary time this is! Just one short month ago, we would not have thought all of the changes we've been through were possible. And yet now many of us are sheltering in place, watching unusual events unfold. In normal times, life is a struggle in Kenya. In the time of COVID-19, it has become much worse...
Ministries across Kenya often reach out to Kapu Africa (MFB East Africa) to make specific requests known. Recently the founder of Hilton's Heroes, which has a school literally in the city dump in Nakuru, Kenya, contacted Kapu Africa Board President Denny Mott with some urgent news. The Kenyan government has conducted a nationwide crackdown on schoo...
Late in 2019, two business publications have recently had favorable things to say about Midwest Food Bank. Business.org published a list of "The Best Charities for Your Money in Every State." Midwest Food Bank was selected as the best charity for your money in Illinois. Based on transparency and program expense, each of the fifty chariti...
On November 12, 2019, Godwin Matswa, Kapu Africa (MFB East Africa) employee, was invited by the department of Gender (People with Disabilities) in Makueni County to inform others about Tender Mercies, MFB's packaged meal. Godwin drove for two and a half hours to Wote, a town which is the headquarters of Makueni County....
Kapu Africa (Midwest Food Bank East Africa) Was fortunate to be a part of World Food Day 2019, an event observed in over 150 countries. Although the date is October 16, MFB was there a day early to participate in meetings and discussions. Christine Mutsoli, Executive Director of Kapu Africa, was part of the 'Policy Dialogue Workshop' whose the...
Together. Stronger. That is how the Caterpillar Foundation approaches partnerships. The recent $256,000 donation from the Cat Foundation to Midwest Food Bank puts that call into action. The donation will be used 100 percent for the purchase of food for the Peoria and East Africa locations of MFB. Locally, the donation will be used for pr...
Humility = Success. This is just one of the many pieces of wisdom shared by David Kieser, Midwest Food Bank's President and Founder, during a podcast interview on The Savvy Sauce. Laura Dugger, The Savvy Sauce host, invited David to share some of the "God stories" he has experienced at MFB. During the 84th episode of the weekly podcast, David ...
Buna is a small town in north east Kenya. Godwin Matswa, MFB East Africa, recently went with Bloomington, Illinois-based Spread Truth to Buna to share the gospel of Jesus and food. This region is semi-arid and they are always on the edge of famine. Other challenges are food insecurities from terrorist and clan in-fighting ...
On September 3, Spread Truth launched a partnership with the government of Kenya. Midwest Food Bank has a partnership with Spread Truth, a Bloomington, IL based non-profit, whose mission is to equip Christians to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ. On that day, an estimated 2,000 families in Kivingoni received food from Kapu Africa (Midwe...
Midwest Food Bank is committed to helping the hungry of this world. However, we're concerned with more than just how much food we can provide. Our mission is to alleviate hunger AND malnutrition. Alongside our dedication to filling empty stomachs, we're focused on the nutritional quality of our products. Think about your own grocery shopping....
Midwest Food Bank welcomes Lisa Martin to our family of employees. As the New Executive Director of the Morton location, Lisa will coordinate operations there. Responsibilities include directing warehouse and volunteer activity, community outreach, and overseeing financial and budgetary operations. Additionally, Lisa will serve ...
"I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase." -I Corinthians 3:6 Kapu Africa (Midwest Food Bank East Africa) was recently blessed to participate in an event with Shalom Outreach and Spread Truth Ministries. It was held near Mtwapa, a town on the northern coastal area of Kenya. Populated mostly by Muslims, there is a high rate ...
By definition, values are important beliefs or ideals one has about what is good or bad, desirable or undesirable. They have a a major influence on one's behavior and attitude and serve as broad guidelines in all situations. In the first half of 2019, the Midwest Food Bank National Board of Directors reviewed and refined the organization's values. ...
Midwest Food Bank appreciates all donors, young and old. Seeing a young person invest in a charitable mission brings a unique joy. Seth Conkin of Morton, IL, is just such a young man. At 13, he is the oldest of four, and operates a mowing/landscaping maintenance business with his younger brother. Seth generously donates 20% of his revenue to charit...
Here are a few of the recent sharing opportunities we had at Kapu Africa (Midwest Food Bank East Africa). Spread Truth, a gospel-spreading ministry in Bloomington, Illinois, has been sharing Jesus' love with the hungry in Kenya. On the weekend of May 3-5, Pastor Hamisi Kirenga made a trip to Garissa, which is about 235 mi...
The family of Midwest Food Bank founder and president, David Kieser, was honored at the McLean County Republican Party Lincoln Reagan Dinner. Held Friday, May 17, the dinner included a presentation by White House Chef Martin Mongiello, and a silent auction. Chosen from among eight other nominees, the David Kieser family was one of ...
After many months of effort, Midwest Food Bank East Africa (Kapu Africa) was able to make a trip to South Sudan to help refugees there. On the weekend of May 3-5, 28 metric tonnes of Tender Mercies, MFB's packaged meal, were distributed. South Sudan, a neighboring country to Kenya, gained independence from the Republic of Sudan in 2011 and is...
At Midwest Food Bank East Africa, we are happy to receive any food donations we can pass along. We are especially delighted to be able to distribute quality, nutritious vegetables. For this reason, MFB values the partnership with Rozzika Gardens Ltd. Since opening in 2014, we have received fresh vegetables from the faithful donor. Rozzika Gardens w...
