Midwest Food Bank has been shipping Disaster Relief all over the US since March (stories here and here). Family food boxes have have been helping people affected by business closures and layoffs. Volunteers have been assembling, filling, and driving food boxes every week. The Tender Mercies packing machine has been running non-stop, setting new pro...
Typically, in July and August, Midwest Food Bank is preparing for the Disaster Relief we will provide during hurricane season. 2020 has been anything but typical. Much of our effort since March has been focused on Disaster Relief. The COVID-19 crisis has placed many people in a position of food insecurity. Thanks to your support, we have been ...
Midwest Food Bank is participating in a new USDA program benefitting food suppliers as well as those in need. The program is called the Farmers to Family Food Box Program. The USDA is partnering with national, regional, and local suppliers, who have been significantly impacted by the closure of food service businesses. The USDA will purchase u...
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...
At dawn on May 20 a fleet of trucks left Midwest Food Bank Arizona en route to the Navajo Nation. The trucks were loaded with canned food, bottled water and milk, diapers, paper products, and 960 boxes of produce from Stern Produce. The combined effort between Midwest Food Bank Arizona and Helping Hands Navajo Nation is in response t...
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...
This is an unprecedented season of Disaster Relief at Midwest Food Bank. Responding to the needs caused by the COVID-19 pandemic is posing unique challenges. Most states are experiencing work suspensions and quarantines, causing food insecurity. Rather than sending relief to a single disaster area, our partner, The Salvation Army, has been re...
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. Much has changed in the 15 years since Midwest Food Bank began providing Disaster Relief after ...
Merilee Baptiste came to Arizona right after college for the sunshine. That carefree decision landed her a 22-year career at Vanguard and eventually, Midwest Food Bank. On Feb. 1, Merilee joined the MFB team as Executive Director of MFB Arizona. Merilee had been volunteering at various non-profits and started volunteering at MF...
Every day at Midwest Food Bank Arizona, we bear witness to small miracles and huge acts of faith. Consider our rapidly growing Tucson satellite facility run by volunteer leaders Curt and Caroline Kaufman. The Tucson site operates Thursday evenings and Saturday mornings and is staffed entirely by volunteers. For the Kaufmans, the idea for the ...
The Mesa Country Club will be the site for Midwest Food Bank Arizona's first-ever "Be The Blessing" Dinner and Gala set for Saturday, March 7, from 6 to 9 p.m. David Kieser, founder, president and CEO of MFB will be the featured speaker at the event. The focus of the evening will be on informing, inspiring and inviting - informing a...
Longtime PGA Tour golf professional Ted Purdy has gone from golf driving to fork lift driving. Ted joined MFB Arizona as Community Relations Director in December 2019. He recently finished tied for 58th place in the PGA's Bermuda Championship. Ted, a University of Arizona business graduate, has won tournaments on the Asian Tour, the Web.c...
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...
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 ...
Creativity and thoughtfulness can result in unexpected blessings for a non-profit organization. For example, Hello Fresh, the popular meal kit delivery business recently implemented an in-house recycling operation to benefit the people served by Midwest Food Bank. The ingredients for Hello Fresh's meals are shipped in specially insulated boxes...
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 ...
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. ...
The Sun Valley Community Church (SVCC) has been blessing Midwest Food Bank Arizona for quite a while. We appreciate their hearts for those in need and their support. Last year, MFB Arizona has the opportunity to help the victims of the destructive wildfires in California. SVCC took a special offering to support our disaster relief. During Jun...
Midwest Food Bank Arizona has a thriving partnership with The Vanguard Group, investment advisors. Their support is lively and encouraging.During the last half of June, Vanguard held its annual "All Cans on Deck" food drive. More than just a food collection, All Cans on Deck is a two-week extravaganza. A partial list of activities includes: bake sa...
