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. In addition to shelf stable products, you also want to include produce, meat, and dairy to the mix of rice, canned and boxed goods, and snacks. With ample support, research shows that intake of fruits and vegetables improves life expectancy and decreases risk for chronic disease and mental illness, including diabetes, obesity, heart disease, hypertension, and depression. 

With so many benefits that stem from proper nutrition, we're eager to use our God-given resources to bolster the health of those in need. Midwest Food Bank works with our partners to increase our distribution of produce, protein, and dairy products. We're thrilled to be able to share these more expensive, nutrition-rich items at no cost. We are thankful for the grant dollars we receive to help fund the purchase of high nutrition food for our distribution. 

Thank you to summer intern Kate Walder for her input on this article.