Building relationships and partnerships extend to all aspects of Midwest Food Bank, including the behind-the-scenes vendors. One of our partnerships is the online giving platform iDonate. "It's evident that iDonate is consistent with the MFB culture," says Jada Hoerr, MFB Chief Resource Officer. "We are a growing organization, and as iDonate c...
With roles at both MFB and his family farm, Eric Hodel works in two industries associated with feeding people. This helps make Eric uniquely qualified to serve as Midwest Food Bank's CEO beginning January 1, 2022. David Kieser, MFB's current CEO, will remain the President of the MFB Board of Directors. Eric joined Midwest Food Bank in April 2017, a...
Board members are one of the many volunteer roles at Midwest Food Bank. Board members share their time, hearts, and expertise. MFB Haiti would like to introduce three people that have joined their board recently. Katie Magwire - Katie went on a mission trip to Haiti in 2018 and witnessed not only the poverty but the joy that Haitian people have for...
A news story, an internet search, and an email led to a donation to Midwest Food Bank Haiti. When Evelyn Veliz saw the news story about the 7.2 magnitude earthquake in Haiti in August, she wanted to help. But how? As a medical student at Southern Illinois University, she knew medical supplies would be needed as well as food. Evelyn found Midwest Fo...
As Midwest Food Bank grows in size, we also want to grow in understanding. Understanding the stories of our food recipients helps us fulfill our mission. With every food recipient we meet, we grow in compassion and humility. We appreciate their willingness to partner with us and are honored to learn their stories and share them with you. We w...
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 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...
Despite political chaos and the continuing deterioration of security, God is still working through MFB Haiti. We have delivered three sea containers (700,000 servings) of food to Haiti in 2021. The Lord is now opening doors that will allow us to expand child feeding centers in the Pignon area. MFB Haiti partners with Mathew 28 Ministries...
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...
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...
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...
Silvanie's mother lived in a tiny village on the bank of the Bouyaha River when she gave birth in September of 2002. Because healthcare is rare and unaffordable; a few days later Silvanie's mother died of complications. Her grandmother tried desperately to keep Silvanie alive, but with no milk to give an infant she knew it was impossible. At ...
God spoke to a man in Texas and a man in Haiti, and together they are answering the call to help people in the largest slum in Haiti. This partnership happens through the Luken Foundation - named after the young Haitian man, Luken Ermilus (learn more here). Midwest Food Bank is thankful to play a part in this ministry, but first, we need to te...
Coming from a Christian, middle-class family with a brother and four sisters, Luken Ermilus decided to go to medical school. His story sounds kind of standard, but God can use one decision to change a trajectory. That's what happened with Luken when he decided to use his medical training to help people in his own country of Haiti. He visited Cite S...
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...
As COVID grinds on and brings growing anxiousness and hardship to much of the world, MFB Haiti is thankful to report that year-over-year our sea-container shipments of food to Haiti have doubled. In 2020, over 160 tons of food relief have been shipped, received, and distributed by our Haiti faith-based partners. Nearly three-quarters of the shipmen...
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...
Before Hurricane Laura made landfall in Louisiana, it had already proved to be deadly in Haiti. Laura tore through Haiti on August 23, killing at least 21 people, and knocking out power to hundreds of thousands of people. Many local farmers' crops were destroyed, crippling an already fragile food supply. A Jacmel plantain plantation planning a...
