As the holiday season approaches, our hearts fill with warmth and a desire to give back to our communities. For Midwest Food Bank Bloomington-Normal, this is a time when we typically receive an overwhelming number of group volunteer requests, especially around Thanksgiving and Christmas. Here are six meaningful ways to get involved and make a ...
For the first time in history, enough food is produced to feed everyone. Globally, farmers are growing over 22 billion pounds of produce every day, enough to provide every person on the planet almost twice, according to the Farm Link Project. It's not about having enough food; it's about getting the roughly 30-40% of the wasted US food supply into ...
The work of Midwest Food Bank (MFB) is not new to Aimee Beam. For the last decade, she has worked with the people who receive food from MFB, most recently serving on the Executive Leadership team of The Baby Fold, a large nonprofit in Normal, IL. Aimee is the new Executive Director of MFB Bloomington-Normal, IL. She is replacing former Executi...
You could say that Duane Whitlow has a heart for Midwest Food Bank.In 2018, he first toured the Normal location of MFB and learned about the mission and work of MFB."I had the opportunity to visit with MFB founder David Kieser and learned firsthand how this great organization started and became what it is today," says Duane.It didn't take long befo...
After a varied career, including sales, publishing, logistics, and the mortgage industry, Steven Bishop has followed a calling from God into coaching and youth ministry. Now he is adding another meaningful career to his life. Steven is the new part-time Volunteer Coordinator at MFB Bloomington-Normal. Steven grew up in Bloomington and Nor...
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...
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...
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...
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...
Like many food pantries, Livingston County Food Pantry saw an increase in people needing food during the pandemic. They shifted their operations but remained open because building a relationship with their clients is vital to them, says Bill Fairfield, a volunteer."Midwest Food Bank has partnered with Livingston Food Pantry for over 13 years," says...
Perceptions and reality don't always match up. You might be surprised to learn that 53% of food-insecure people work full-time.So, the suggestion "Why don't they just get a job?" falls flat for more than half the people choosing between putting gas in their car, paying a utility bill, or going to the grocery store.The USDA defines food insecurity a...
Keep or pitch? That's the question everyone faces when cleaning out a refrigerator or a pantry. The date on the product is usually the determining factor if it stays or goes. But those dates are one of the biggest reasons that 30-40 percent of food in the United States is thrown away even though it is still safe to consume. The dates printed ...
MFB began a partnership with Amazon as a food donor in 2020. Since then, Amazon has provided loads of product across the MFB footprint and is a valued food donor for the organization. Some divisions have picked up Amazon Fresh regular loads - a tremendous source of nutritious and fresh food. That partnership continues to grow and expand in exciting...
When groups of people sign up together at Midwest Food Bank Bloomington-Normal, it makes a huge difference. There is power in numbers.On distribution days, MFB food partners come to our warehouse to receive food without charge. It takes 60-70 people each distribution day to make it all happen. When groups of people volunteer together, it helps MFB ...
Midwest Food Bank values our donors, and we make effective use of every gift with integrity. We frequently receive questions about various ways to give to MFB, and one mechanism – IRA Qualified Charitable Distribution - is a way that benefits donors and MFB. Making an IRA Qualified Charitable Distribution (QCD) You can donate up to $100,000 in...
MFB nonprofit partner agencies have been seeing record needs. To help them, MFB Bloomington-Normal recently added a day (Wednesday) to our supplemental distribution week. But it was hard to find enough volunteers. We reached out to Salem4Youth to see if they could help fill the need. Salem4Youth is a nearby ministry for young men focusing...
Volunteer opportunities abound!Are looking for a way to use your gifts? We are seeking a number of volunteers for roles needing some specific skills. Design and Communication AssistantAttributes: Creative, sensibility for color and design.Time Commitment: At least twice per month, no maximum. A Design and Communication Assistant works within the MF...
Midwest Food Bank Normal, IL, is pleased to introduce you to three new members of the advisory board. They serve in a volunteer capacity, and we're thankful for their support of our mission. Denise Brim - Denise is married to Trace Brim, and they have four teenage daughters. She works from home as an online reseller. Each year, Denise is actively i...
How Melanie Tennell became the new Marketing Director at MFB is a "God story." She felt a little unsettled in her previous position at Pekin Insurance when her former boss Jackie reached out to her. Jackie connected Melanie with her acquaintance, Jada Hoerr, MFB Chief Resource Officer. "God's timing prevails," says Melanie. "Every. Single. Tim...
