Farm kids learn early on the value of food and how it is produced. That was the case for Gareth Keown."Growing up on a farm, I learned the importance of contributing to food security and now have been given the opportunity to make a significant impact in the lives of those that live daily in a food insecure state," says Gareth.In July, he joined th...
When you hear the name Opal Lee, especially in Texas, you pay attention. Opal has a way of making things happen through her humanitarian spirit and vision of making the world a better place for everyone.Opal is known as the grandmother of Juneteenth and her famous walk from Ft. Worth to Washington D.C. to campaign to make it a national holiday. At ...
At Midwest Food Bank New England, we see answers to prayers. Those answers sometimes are the volunteers that show up at just the right time. John Carter is a great example."John came to us when we were praying to expand our forklift driver team, and he has served every week since," says Corey Barrette, Volunteer and Community Relations Manager for ...
The volunteers who walk through the doors at Midwest Food Bank not only make our operations better, they leave an impression on everyone around them.With sadness, the New England location of MFB shares the news of the unexpected passing of Warren Zahner. Warren was one of the key people involved when MFB New England was established in 2021. He and ...
Midwest Food Bank New England wants to give our nonprofit agency partners the food their clients need and will use. A good example is when Schoke Jewish Family Service of Fairfield County started coming to MFB for food and household items. They specifically needed Kosher products."When we first approached MFB New England to discuss our particular n...
Community partnerships offer great benefits to Midwest Food Bank and those we serve. MFB Morton recently received two separate grants that assist in day-to-day operations. The first was a $1,500 grant from the Morton Community Foundation. The mission of the Morton Community Foundation is to improve the quality of life for Morton area...
This year, a record number of disasters in the United States means Midwest Food Bank volunteers have been assembling food boxes to respond. In the first half of 2023, 20 loads of water, food boxes, hygiene kits and cleaning supplies were sent to support disaster victims.In June, semi-loads of water and food went from MFB's Disaster Relief...
If you come to Midwest Food Bank Bloomington-Normal, you will likely meet someone from Wesley United Methodist Church.They contribute to MFB in many ways - forklift drivers, first impression volunteers, SWAT Team (Sorting Wonderful Amazon Things), truck drivers, and leaders on food distribution days. Groups from the church also come to help with vo...
"Loyal loaders" are the people that show up regularly at Midwest Food Bank Bloomington/Normal during food distribution weeks. It's that loyalty that really makes the process smooth. Currently, MFB needs volunteers that can commit each month to become one of those "loyal loaders."What does that mean?Typically, distribution week is the first ful...
As an athletic director, Leon Hammond wants his student athletes to learn not just about wins and losses. He wants them to learn how to be resilient, face challenges and care about the people around them. Leon is McIntosh High School's AD and regularly brings students to Midwest Food Bank Georgia to volunteer."He believes in teaching the younger ge...
After 45 years in the trucking industry, Eddie Percy isn't tired of getting behind the wheel. In 2013 he retired from US Foods but was still willing to log more miles."I saw an article in the newspaper about Midwest Food Bank, and I decided to check them out," says Eddie. They needed a driver, and that was a perfect fit for me."Eddie has been a reg...
There are many moving parts, people, and equipment during food distribution days at the Midwest Food Bank Florida warehouse.MFB staff ensure that food is ready and that volunteers and staff are ready to safely accomplish the goal of meeting the needs of our food partners. MFB is committed to safety training so everyone is prepared for these busy wa...
When corporate groups volunteer at Midwest Food Bank Florida, there is an atmosphere of teamwork and collaboration. MFB staff always enjoy the liveliness of these groups. Usually, these events happen at the MFB warehouse, but it was more fitting to take the event to the group recently."MFB recently received a special request to organize a bulk-prod...
When volunteers from Crossover Community Center packed Cheez-It's at Midwest Food Bank Florida, it was a natural extension of their programs. CCC is a local nonprofit that uses the biblical principles of love and servanthood through active faith in Jesus Christ. They provide programs like volunteering, sports, and education to reach young people."T...
A healthy start is a challenge for children in East Africa. That start can impact them for the rest of their life. Kapu Africa (Midwest Food Bank East Africa) isn't backing away from big goals to provide that healthy start by reducing stunting in Kenya and across East Africa. What is stunting? It is when a child has a low height fo...
A strong work ethic is part of Rick Callahan's DNA. At 12 years old, he had a paper route and has been working ever since. He retired after 37 years at Traveler's Insurance and then picked up a couple of part-time jobs. During those work years, Rick always wanted to volunteer, but he was often on-call and couldn't volunteer as often as he wanted to...
A conversation in the grocery store turned into Tricia Jacoby joining the Midwest Food Bank Georgia staff. She ran into MFB employee Lina Martin in the store and shared her desire to give back to her community as she entered the empty nest years. Tricia joined the staff in late March as a part-time volunteer coordinator."We are thrilled to have som...
Midwest Food Bank volunteers are known for their ability to work hard and have fun. That combination happens for a week each month when food is distributed to Midwest Food Bank's nonprofit partners. It is especially helpful if volunteers can commit to one or more days regularly for food distribution. Our current volunteers are ready to help train a...
The Northeast Emergency District (NEED) is meeting the needs of the food-insecure population of Haltom City and Hurst, TX. MFB Texas is pleased to have them as a nonprofit agency partner. Anyone in need can come to NEED once a month for a cartload of groceries. Over 5,000 people take advantage of this help every year. In addition to food, once a ye...
MFB Normal has implemented a new inventory system, paving the way for MFB's other locations. The system, Primarius, includes scanning bar codes on pallets, which is quite different from the 20 years of using Excel spreadsheets. An implementation team has been meeting weekly for 18 months to prepare for the launch. The switch took a great deal of pl...
