By: Diane Benjamin

This story was inspired by the following article: https://illinoisfamily.org/federal/the-hunger-industrial-complex-part-ii-the-six-figure-charity-racket/

You REALLY need to read that story before continuing.

One excerpt:

When you compare what food-bank executives earn to the work these organizations actually do, the picture that emerges isn’t one of modest, volunteer-driven charity. It’s a professional system of administration and logistics with executive pay that warrants serious scrutiny.

The story covers some food banks in Illinois, but not Midwest Food Bank. Keep reading, it should have.

Ones that were covered:

.

All of these have a 4 Star Ratings in Charity Navigator: https://www.charitynavigator.org/

How does Midwest Food Bank compare? They also have a 4 Star rating. This data is from their IRS Form 990, FY 2024-2025. It was filed in May of 2025. https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/412120170/202521349349311302/full

Earning a combined salary of over $300,000 puts Eric Hodel in the top 2% of all individual earners in the U.S.

HOUSEHOLDS (not individuals) earning over $200,000 fall in approximately the top 12% of U.S. household incomes.

From the Midwest Food Bank’s website: https://midwestfoodbank.org/

Every day, people face hard decisions about food and essentials. At Midwest Food Bank, we’re making hunger relief efficient, easy, and free. Our goal is to ensure that accessing support is never complicated or out of reach, so everyone feels cared for and valued.

It is the mission of Midwest Food Bank to share the love of Christ by alleviating hunger and malnutrition and providing disaster relief.

Another Quote from the Illinois Family Institute story:

A Walmart General Manager is the top leader at a facility responsible for billions of dollars in inventory and hundreds of employees. That person earns $218,317, which is at the high end for that role. 

Eric Hodel, CEO of Midwest Food Bank, is paid over $100,000 more than a Walmart General Manager. The website states in 2024 “$526 million worth of food and resources” was distributed: PDF page 2 https://midwestfoodbank.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/Annual_Report_2024-SP.pdf

Midwest does list operating in 8 states and 2 foreign countries on their website: https://midwestfoodbank.org/who-we-are/

Another excerpt from Midwest Food Bank:

Every Step Guided by Faith, Community, Service, and Integrity

We believe faith, community, service, and integrity are the foundation for lasting impact. These values guide us as a top charity for hunger relief, inspiring trust and generosity as we feed others with compassion and care.

Back to Illinois Family Institute story:

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, several of these officers earn double or triple what comparable private-sector logistics professionals earn, while the rest fall into a compensation range most Americans would never associate with a food charity.

Next time they ask for volunteers, remember they are a charity.

According to OpenTheBooks.com, Midwest Food Bank has received money from Florida, Indiana, Arizona, and this from Illinois taxpayers: https://www.openthebooks.com/search-results/?t=c&F_Name_S=Midwest%20Food%20Bank&F_Year=2025

Final thoughts from the Illinois Family story:

We are not called to go along with that. We are called to something better.

The system has become irretrievably corrupt. It cannot be reformed from within because the people who control it — from Feeding America’s national office to the Feeding Illinois network to the six regional hubs that control the distribution of federal food in this state — have no interest in reform. Reform would require accountability, which means lower salaries, published fee schedules, verified eligibility, and an honest assessment of whether 30 years and billions of dollars annually have actually reduced hunger. They will never allow that honest assessment to happen voluntarily.

Every church-run pantry in America should withdraw from the TEFAP system. Step away from the federal food, the Shared Maintenance Fees, the self-attestation sheets, and the regulations that dictate what you can and cannot ask of the people you’re trying to help.

Return to what worked: every church member shopping for food and bringing it to their pantry for distribution to people who are confirmed to be in genuine need — and who, because the government is no longer standing between you and them, can be offered spiritual encouragement and guidance along with their groceries.

Some churches might find a better solution. But any solution that involves government control of the food your congregation provides is the wrong choice. The hunger industrial complex has taken what the faith community built out of love and turned it into a multi-billion-dollar racket.

It’s time to take it back.