June 6, 2021, was the first day of Ken White's employment at Midwest Food Bank Florida. He is our new Community Relations Manager. Ken brings 15 years of nonprofit experience to the position, including leadership roles in other food banks. Most recently, he was with Lighthouse Ministries of Lakeland, FL. Ken is looking forward to bri...
On a warm morning in June, 125 runners and walkers from all over gathered at Midwest Food Bank Georgia for the very First Annual Miles for Midwest 5K. In a sea of blue Miles for Midwest 5K shirts, there were laughter, hugs, and excitement. The crowd was welcomed with opening remarks from Executive Director, Will Garner and assembled at the start li...
Midwest Food Bank volunteers have all kinds of passions, talents, and interests. When they bring those to MFB, great things happen. In 2020, Heidi Cerrigione retired from Oakridge Dairy as their Office Manager/Bookkeeper. Her employment history includes banking, lending, real estate appraisal, and bookkeeping for several businesses. She has al...
Starving college student. We've probably all used that phrase. It conjures up stereotypical images of a young man or woman making ramen noodles over a hotplate. The thought makes us smile. For some, the phrase is not a stereotype. Nor is it something to smile about. Based on school and location, food insecurity rates on college and university ...
At a Collingsworth Family concert, Jim and Ardell Swezey heard about Midwest Food Bank for the first time. After a 2-hour volunteer session repackaging bulk food at MFB Peoria, Jim and Ardell knew they found their place to serve. They began volunteering on Wednesdays until they were both retired. Now they are at MFB most aftern...
Here at Midwest Food Bank Pennsylvania, there is a busyness about our work. Volunteers are coming and going and food is getting loaded, prepared, and distributed. In the midst of all this activity, we often receive words of encouragement from food partners and we wanted to share a few as a reminder that God is using each and every person that volun...
We celebrated Dairy Month in June with the Pennsylvania Dairymen's Association. Thanks to donations from local farmers, area food pantries and youth programs received whole milk and chocolate milk to support their feeding programs. Midwest Food Bank Pennsylvania thanks local farmers Glenn Peffer of Carlisle, and Chester Raudabaugh of ...
Chris Lee brings plenty of experience to Midwest Food Bank but more importantly, he brings a heart to help and serve people. Chris joined the MFB Texas team as Operations Manager on June 1. Before coming to MFB, Chris worked in logistics and warehouse operations for more than a decade, including nonprofit food programs. Recently, he served on the n...
Reflecting on the first half of 2021, Midwest Food Bank is thankful for the Lord's blessings as we continue to grow and serve from our 12 locations across the US, Kenya, and Haiti. Our generous donors and dedicated volunteer family encourage and support us in the fight against food insecurity. Some of the progress made this year includes the follow...
As a faith-based organization, it is the mission of Midwest Food Bank to share the love of Christ by alleviating hunger and malnutrition locally and throughout the world and providing disaster relief; all without discrimination. -Mission statement of Midwest Food Bank Our mission of sharing the love of Christ is accomplished primarily th...
Bradley Schwab is a 6th grader at Sterling Middle School. He was born with dwarfism, a unique medical condition that results in short stature. Despite his size, Bradley is a towering presence in the hearts of many people. He is the life of his classroom and a joy to his teachers. Like many other students at Sterling Middle Schoo...
Once a year, the WIlder-Waite Grade School 5th graders make a trek to Midwest Food Bank Peoria. Once here, the students learn about food insecurity and the mission of MFB. This year, rain was not enough to deter them from their 2.5-mile hike. Mrs. Michelle Arnott and Mr. Jeremy Conlee shepherded 40 students to MFB Peoria on...
One of our newer nonprofit partnerships is with Vote Jesus (Jesus is the Answer - World Outreach Ministries). Helping the families of the differently abled is the main focus of Vote Jesus. These disabilities include cerebral palsy, muscular dystrophy, and amputations. They also support a population of neglected elderly people. Vote Jesus is a ...
Despite political chaos and the continuing deterioration of security, God is still working through MFB Haiti. We have delivered three sea containers (700,000 servings) of food to Haiti in 2021. The Lord is now opening doors that will allow us to expand child feeding centers in the Pignon area. MFB Haiti partners with Mathew 28 Ministries...
Three new board members with diverse experience have joined the MFB New England board. They are Sue Collins, Peter DeMallie, and Susan Karp. With over 45 years of experience in the financial services industry, Sue Collins retired from her position as Chief Actuary at TIAA. She is a past president of the Hartford Stage Company and ha...
In an effort to advance the opening of MFB New England. an Operations Manager has been hired. Brent Carl began his MFB employment in April. For the past year, Brent was employed as a Site Security Supervisor for the State of Connecticut. Prior to that, he spent the last 30 years serving in full-time ministry leadership positions. As a min...
With a wide variety of talents and interests, there are multiple tasks MFB volunteers can do. Experience in building maintenance, clerical work, teaching, and greeting people are just a few of the many talents MFB volunteers use. What about someone who enjoys word and logic puzzles? Yes, there's even a place for her.Teresa Goodyear, or "T", be...
volunteer (noun) a person who willingly undertakes a service by their own choice Volunteers are the lifeblood of our organization. The COVID pandemic forced Midwest Food Bank to restructure our volunteer model for everyone's safety. At the same time, the need for family food boxes and Tender Mercies meals ramped up. We are thankful f...
In 1998, Phaedrea Harrison, Carl Woods, and Keith Grady, under the leadership of Rev. Charles R. Harrison, started the Barnes UMC "Taste of Heaven" Feeding Ministry. The vision was to provide a weekly meal for those in need with healthy, home-cooked hot food. Members of the congregation donated their time, talent, and recipes toward...
Internships offer college students a way to gain experience while learning. They also provide MFB a consistent, dedicated volunteer presence. At MFB Florida, we're happy to welcome Melissa Kessler to a Community Relations internship. Melissa is a Junior at Florida Gulf Coast University majoring in Communication with a focus in Public Relations...
