Sun Valley Community Church and MFB Arizona stand side by side

Side by side is how Sun Valley Community Church and Midwest Food Bank Arizona work. The partnership started when Sun Valley was much smaller, and church leaders had initial conversations with MFB about volunteer opportunities. Those conversations have turned into a partnership that is constantly growing and evolving.

"The church appreciates our mission alignment and our initiative to feed those in need while sharing the love of Christ," says Merilee Baptiste, MFB, Arizona Executive Director.

During the holidays, the MFB Arizona founders, Eric and Mary Sheldahl, arranged for some of the MFB special needs volunteers to assist Sun Valley by greeting people and handing out cookies.

"It was great to see church volunteers alongside MFB volunteers," says Brett Humphrey, Next Steps Pastor at Sun Valley.

Sun Valley provides many ways for its congregation to come alongside MFB. They organize church-wide service days, and MFB is one of the nonprofits selected. When Sun Valley has praise and worship nights, MFB has been invited to host a food drive and to share about our organization. During the California wildfires and Kentucky tornadoes, Sun Valley collected a special offering and donated $50,000 to MFB for disaster relief.