There was joy in the air at the first MFB New England food distribution (load-out) on Tuesday, November 16. After the time spent securing and preparing the facility, it was a blessing to be giving the food to agency partners. At 8 a.m., Executive Director Jan Young welcomed the group, and operations Manager Brent Carl explained the proce...
In 2007, Chipo Makaya started to go to Mji Wa Huruma to teach the Bible to children at a nursery school Tumaini Nursery. At that time, she realized that the children were not comprehending as much as her own daughter, who was the same age. The Makayas visited friends and supporters in the US and shared the vision to start a library for Mj...
At McGregor Food Pantry in Fort Myers, Food is only one of the services they offer. Counseling sessions and access to additional resources are available at the pantry. "When someone walks in these doors they are often in need of more than just food," says Bob Fain of McGregor Food Pantry. "We are blessed to be able to offer leads to other...
The pandemic created uncertainty in so many ways. Food pantries across the United States saw an increase in people utilizing their services. Pantry 279 in rural, southern Indiana went from serving about 3,500 people each month to 6,000-8,000 people each month. "Midwest Food Bank stepped up and allowed us to come to their warehouse extra times ...
Most US households are "food secure," meaning they have consistent access to enough food for healthy, active living. However, some households lack access to adequate food due to a lack of money or other resources. These homes are called "food insecure." Midwest Food Bank turns to the US Department of Agriculture's annual report on household fo...
Kapu Africa (Midwest Food Bank East Africa) primarily distributes Tender Mercies and Unimix to our nonprofit partners. We also have donors who provide produce, yogurt, and other food. Kapu Africa recently received our largest donation of yogurt from Brookside Dairy. Kenyan-based Brookside Dairy is a long-time corporate donor to Kapu Africa. School ...
Matt McKaig has been the Operations Manager at MFB Indiana for just over a year. He grew up on a dairy farm and has a younger sister and twin brother. Matt received a degree in agriculture from Purdue University and has worked for a veterinarian and cattle broker after college and then in the seed corn business. He is married to Mich...
About 40 years ago, Ken Wise decided to follow Jesus. That decision not only changed his life but the lives of many others in Greene County, Illinois. Ken and his wife, Carla, use their voices and talents as singers to minister to people. Their ministry - Saved by Grace - reaches people through song, but also with food. "One night, I had a vision t...
What a difference two months makes. We spotlighted Brent Reddish as a volunteer in the last eNewsletter. Now, Brent has joined the staff of MFB Morton as Operations Manager. Brent will oversee and facilitate warehouse activities and manage the purchasing and inventory for Tender Mercies - an MFB meal program. His experience in sales...
At Midwest Food Bank, we often say our volunteers are the "secret sauce." That's why we like to tell you about these special people. Brandon Letner is one of them. Brandon volunteers at MFB Arizona as a semi-truck driver. He started volunteering in 2018 and is also currently leading the Holiday Turkey Challenge Food Drive. Mile...
One way people volunteer at Midwest Food Bank is by signing up as a group. The Phoenix Peace Corps group volunteers at least quarterly at MFB Arizona. Here is what a few of them had to say about volunteering at MFB Arizona: "I enjoy working alongside many other heart-centered people who want to be of service and help to others. The collaboration an...
A news story, an internet search, and an email led to a donation to Midwest Food Bank Haiti. When Evelyn Veliz saw the news story about the 7.2 magnitude earthquake in Haiti in August, she wanted to help. But how? As a medical student at Southern Illinois University, she knew medical supplies would be needed as well as food. Evelyn found Midwest Fo...
Volunteer Synethia Walker is comfortable in the kitchen cooking for other volunteers or driving a forklift in the warehouse. Her willingness to do whatever is needed is appreciated by Midwest Food Bank Texas. "When she volunteers at MFB she makes sure we all have a wonderful meal for lunch and she is an amazing cook," says Rhonda Revels, Commu...
As Midwest Food Bank grows in size, we also want to grow in understanding. Understanding the stories of our food recipients helps us fulfill our mission. With every food recipient we meet, we grow in compassion and humility. We appreciate their willingness to partner with us and are honored to learn their stories and share them with you. We w...
Rolland "Rollie" Reed isn't new to Midwest Food Bank, but he is taking on a new role. He will serve as the Warehouse Manager for the Bloomington-Normal location, beginning December 6. In 2010 Rollie came to MFB after 20 years working in warehousing and logistics. He was looking for a change when a job opened at MFB Peoria. He was the Warehouse Mana...
Donna Haas knows God answers prayer. She also knows the answer can be through a text message. After a sleepless night, Donna was praying and reading scripture seeking God's purpose in her life. "I asked Him to please open the door if there was a better way to serve Him," says Donna. "Within eight hours, I got a text from my sister - ...
It started with an invitation to visit MFB Pennsylvania. It ended in the hiring of a new Executive Director. Kathy Anderson-Martin will join the MFB Pennsylvania team as the Executive Director, effective Oct. 18. At her first visit, Kathy was impressed with MFB's mission and stewardship of resources. As someone who had distributed food to thos...
It seems unlikely that a church based in North Carolina would have something to do with a Kapu Africa (Midwest Food Bank East Africa) volunteer event. Yet it happened during Elevation Church's outreach, "Love Week." Elevation Church in Matthews, NC, Has members who watch services from around the world. Their "Love Week" is a concerted eff...
Midwest Food Bank Georgia is pleased to announce the hiring of Pat Burke as Executive Director. Pat's first day will be Monday, October 4. Pat has over 30 years of corporate leadership experience, most recently serving as the Group President for the Clearwater Paper Corporation. His other employers include PepsiCo, Quaker Oats, and General Mil...
In an effort to reach more people, Midwest Food Bank holds satellite distributions where there is not an MFB warehouse. Sometimes these locations are even in other states. August 2021 marked the fourth anniversary of the MFB Georgia satellite distribution in Morristown, TN. When this distribution began four years ago, nine agencies ...
