It was a beautiful day for shooting guns and raising funds. The 11th annual Clay Shoot for Hunger was held on June 13, 2020. All proceeds benefitted Peoria and Morton Midwest Food Banks. 176 shooters took part in the event, which was held at the Oak Ridge Sportsman Club in Mackinaw, IL. Following the clay shoot, participants received a to...

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...

During COVID-19, many people have self-quarantined due to exposure or compromised immune systems. How do people in quarantine get the food they need? A community collaborative called HEAL (Healthy Eating Active Living) is answering that question. MFB Peoria is blessed to be a part of the answer. Quarantined people in need call 211 with their reques...

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 ...

Each day, MFB volunteers go to local grocery stores - HyVee and Kroger - to gather perishable food. That food includes artisan bread from the bakeries at these stores. Food pantries shared with us that these loaves of bread are often passed over by their clients because they can't or may not want to slice them.  Sometimes a small change makes ...

Support for Midwest Food Bank Peoria comes from many people and businesses. Recently, it came from just a few steps away. The national headquarters of MH Equipment is right next door to MFB Peoria. It employs over 900 people and has 28 servicing locations across 10 states. MH employees will walk over to MFB Peoria to volunt...

MFB Peoria is blessed to be able to stand between those who have and those who need. Generous food and monetary donors allow us to accept and warehouse food to distribute to partner agencies.   To increase the value of the food MFB distributes, we have been focusing on retrieving more nutrient-dense foods like fresh fruits and v...

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...

Hope Packs, Midwest Food Bank's weekend feeding program for students, recently received a boost from the Global Information Services team from Caterpillar Inc. The team purchased, packed and donated over 9,000 meal packs to MFB Peoria.Each of the donated meal packs has two hot meals, two hot breakfast items, shelf-stable fruit, fruit snacks, j...

Our final event for the year 2019 ended with a lovely banquet to benefit Midwest Food Bank Peoria and Morton. We were thrilled to be able to host the banquet in our newly renovated Peoria warehouse space. Prospect Sound and Lighting assisted with the banquet set up. Dinner guests began their evening with scrumptious hors d'oeuvres as they ming...

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...

Midwest Food Bank could not function without the many volunteers that serve on a regular basis. We have been blessed with many long standing, faithful volunteers. Kenny Holstrom was one of those core volunteers. After many years of volunteer service, Kenny recently went home to be with the Lord at the age of 91. He was much loved by any and all. Ke...

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 ...

 The Central Illinois Chapter of the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP) is one of 230 chapters worldwide. It encompasses a broad spectrum of professional experience and backgrounds, representing the areas of health, human services, education, religion, and the arts. It is committed to the advancement of philanthropy and ethical fun...

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 ...

​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...

According to USDA studies, more than 150 tons of food is wasted in the U.S. each day. As a feeding ministry, it is important to the mission of Midwest Food Bank to reclaim some of that food. Dot Foods, located in Mount Sterling, IL, is a food distributor serving businesses in food service, retail, vending and food ingredient channels. As the n...