Midwest Food Bank donors are not only generous but creative. They come up with various ways to raise money and awareness for MFB. Tony Escobar, a representative of Thrivent, has a history of supporting organizations that provide food to people in need, and he looks for ways to get that done. He recently hosted a French cooking ...
"All in" is how Brent Carl describes an energetic volunteer at Midwest Food Bank New England. That volunteer is Linda Spinelli, and she started volunteering after a tour given by Brent, the Volunteer and Community Relations Manager at MFB. This was during the "open to the community" volunteer events. "From the moment she came to volu...
Tender Mercies meals are designed by dieticians to be more than a rice and beans meal. There is nutrition in every bag. Every serving of Tender Mercies has: • The calcium of one glass of milk• The iron of two and a half cups of spinach.• The potassium of two bananas.• The protein of 3 ounces of fish. With such a nutritious product, MFB wondere...
Give a group of energetic teenagers some paint brushes, and before you know it, a project is done. That's what happened this summer when about 30 police officers and teens, ages 14-18, from the Mesa Youth Leadership Academy volunteered at Midwest Food Bank Arizona. The group painted the curbing, parking lines, and safety zones at MFB's parking...
Sometimes things go full circle. For Alisa Robb, it happened with Froot Loops. Alisa heard about Midwest Food Bank and volunteer opportunities through friends. So, when she retired after 30 years as an occupational therapy assistant she started volunteering at MFB Peoria doing packing projects. Often MFB receives food in bulk amounts and volu...
Most people look forward to the weekend. Unless you are a child that doesn't know if there is another meal until returning to school on Monday. In the U.S., one in seven children is food insecure. The United States Department of Agriculture defines food insecurity as "the lack of consistent access to enough food for an active, healthy lifestyle." C...
When people think about donating to Midwest Food Bank, they often think of the three Cs: Cash, Check, Credit card. While these three are very common, there are many ways to make a contribution to MFB. We understand our donors appreciate the opportunity to give in a variety of ways. To make it easy for donors, MFB has assembled instructions and insi...
A bag of groceries, the spirit of prayer, and grace are how volunteers serve the people that come to the food pantry at Grace United Methodist Church in Pekin. Once a month the church opens its gym and guests walk through and fill one or two bags with food, including frozen food items. Anywhere from 50-100 families come to this pantry event. One of...
Midwest Food Bank Peoria became a giant classroom when 70 students learned about MFB and how we get food to local food pantries and people in need. The field trip was possible because of a civics action learning grant the health department received. "Visiting the food bank gave students a better understanding of the supply chain for local food...
MFB Haiti is beginning a Tender Mercies packaging program that will use locally-sourced products. Working in partnership with Overture International, a nonprofit organization focused on sustainable development in Haiti, this project will also create jobs for local community members. Beginning this month, MFB Haiti will provide seasoning, ...
There are 19 different countries in East Africa and the statistics tell a story of the continued struggle with malnutrition and food insecurity. Over 22 million people living in East Africa are affected by food insecurity. The World Food Programme reports that in Kenya alone, 35.6% of people live on less than $1.90 per day. Records also show t...
To serve nonprofit partners in Central Florida, Midwest Food Bank Florida recently held a remote distribution there. On May 5, volunteers gathered in Lakeland, FL, to fill the vehicles of area partner agencies with food. Ken White, MFB Florida Community Relations Manager, worked with Lakes Church to secure their location as a distri...
Fixing and helping - that's how Randy Maestre is putting "love your neighbor" into action. Randy is the owner of Christian Brothers Automotive in Gilbert and a supporter of Midwest Food Bank Arizona. He organizes groups to come to MFB to volunteer and also uses his business in a unique way to build awareness for MFB and gather donations. His "DipJa...
We've all felt the pinch of rising food and gas prices. But for people who fall into the category of "food insecure," those prices create a budget where the math can't add up. It's not just a hunch that prices are rising. The Consumer Price Index shows an 8.8% increase in food prices in March 2022, the most significant 12-month advance since May 19...
There's a big machine in the Morton warehouse of Midwest Food Bank that produces nutritious meals - 10 million servings since 2013, to be exact. But it's the people around the machine that make it all happen. The machine packages Tender Mercies - a low-cost (20 cents per serving) and highly nutritious meal that includes rice, beans, protein, season...
The numbers say Midwest Food Bank gave about $430 million worth of food at no cost to about 2,100 food partners in the U.S. and around the world in 2021. That $430 million number represents the food those food partners receive from MFB - at no cost. That's a big deal as it allows them to use their money in other areas of their ministries - like fue...
Joseph is Executive Director of Clinical Operations at Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Texas and will celebrate 15 years at BCBSTX in May. He's a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and Certified Case Manager, and has spent the past 15 years in the Care Management Clinical Operations area. Joseph is a triplet (all 3 boys), and has two older si...
A car drove around Waterbury Worship Center Church a few times. It was a day when food was being distributed for free, and volunteer Ruth Ann Barrett noticed the car. That's when she looked for an opportunity to approach the driver and have a conversation. The volunteer team at Waterbury Worship Center built a bridge and eliminated ...
After several months of short-term ministry work in Nairobi, Kenya, Dan Verhoef sought God's direction for the next season of his life. He felt moved to expand his volunteer role at Midwest Food Bank Georgia. At the same time, MFB Georgia was discussing a need for more Core Volunteers. Dan now fulfills the role of Core Volunteer, assisting Jef...
When Jill Welti worked as a dental hygienist, not everyone was excited to see her. "I like that everyone is happy to be at Midwest Food Bank," says Jill. "Not everyone was happy to come to the dentist." Now retired, Jill says spending time at MFB New England fills her time with something purposeful. "I receive much more than I give," says Jill.&nbs...
