Master Provisions in northern Kentucky acquires food and clothing from corporations and organizes the items for pickup by nonprofit organizations. It’s a trusty bridge between those that donate goods and those that need them.
“Instead of each nonprofit approaching a store for merchandise, our job is to run our 26-foot box trucks and semi-trailers to the [Master Provisions] distribution center,” said Roger Babik, the organization’s founder and president. “The average nonprofit is in no way equipped to make major pickups.”
Master Provisions gets trucks full of fruit, vegetables and other foods from groceries and containers with leftover merchandise or broken packaged goods. Babik explained that these are good-quality items from major companies such as Kroger, Amazon, Pepsi and Frito-Lay. “Amazon won’t even warehouse items that have less than six months until the sell-by date,” he said. “So, some of the stuff they send over have five months until the sell-by date, and they just donate it to us.”
Perishable items, such as fruit, come in and go out on the same day. Master Provisions can store beef, pork, chicken and ice cream in its walk-in refrigerators and freezers. It receives 50-pound containers of rice, beans and pasta, which are broken down and packaged into smaller portions for the nonprofits.
Skids and pallets full of products are sorted daily by volunteers, and then representatives from organizations such as food pantries and soup kitchens arrive at the warehouse to gather food for distribution.
Some 15-20 nonprofit partners are scheduled to pick up items at the Master Provisions warehouse each day, and the camaraderie is friendly among the organizations and the volunteers. As the nonprofit partners walk the aisles with pallets, they can take whatever they need—but only up to 50 percent of one item. For example, if there is a shelf full of shampoo, one organization can take half the items on the shelf but must leave the other half for other organizations. Babik said this builds a share mentality.
When the representatives have what they need, the items are weighed, and the nonprofit can make a suggested donation of 15 cents per pound for the goods if they choose and are able. Babik explained that it costs Master Provisions about 23 cents per pound to run the trucks and store the food, so the 15-cent-per-pound payment helps defray expenses. By teaming up with around 240 ministry partners in 52 counties, Master Provisions serves more than 68,000 people each month, Babik said.
One of Master Provisions’ partners is FUEL NKU, a food pantry for Northern Kentucky University students. A representative comes to Master Provisions each week and purchases about 1,000 pounds of food and hygiene items. FUEL NKU, which is open five days a week, averages about 180 students per day. “The ability to get all this food for 15 cents per pound is second to none for us,” said Nick Bliven, the FUEL NKU program coordinator. “It really helps us in our effort to support student needs.”
The pantry is open year-round to anyone who needs it and is enrolled in classes at the university. Bliven said that no other questions are asked of those who visit. “In addition to energy drinks, produce and bread items, they also supply us with specialty food like gluten-free items and health foods, which so many of the students are looking for. Master Provisions is a fantastic partner.”
Running on Volunteers and Faith-Based Fundamentals
Babik said that, while Master Provisions is faith-based, it is not affiliated with any particular church and works with a variety of denominations. “I never force my beliefs on anyone. All that does is create a wall,” he said. “I might share my beliefs but then ask them, ‘What do you believe?’ Even if they don’t believe in God or the Bible, they believe in being compassionate, kind, humble, gentle and patient. It is not up to me; that is up to God. I’m just here to love people. We don’t judge anyone.”
The organization has a staff of 12 and about 3,000 volunteers, including 1,000 first-time volunteers last year. One group of volunteers of whom Master Provisions is particularly proud consists of 90 special-needs students who come from nine area schools each month. They are paired with volunteers who work as mentors, teaching the students to follow instructions, work as a group, and sort items for distribution. The goal is to prepare them for employment after graduation.
Usually, members from partner organizations pick up the supplies to run the soup kitchen or pantry. But once a month, volunteers from Master Provisions take a semi-truckload to the northern Kentucky communities of Ludlow and Covington. They create an outdoor mobile food pantry with fresh and frozen items. This goes on rain or shine, and around 500 families receive 40-60 pounds of food each month from these visits.
Providing Relief Near and Far
Babik started Master Provisions in 1994 with a focus on distributing used shoes and clothing internationally, starting with Ukraine after the fall of communism. It added other countries and began supporting orphanages. After about 20 years, the organization added another layer to its endeavor. “In 2013, we saw a hole in our ministry. There was a gap that we weren’t serving people here in our backyard,” Babik said. “We built an infrastructure of trucks and our warehouse, so that we became a resource to other nonprofits.”
They continue to operate their international outreach programs today. “We take care of about 300 kids in Ukraine, 100 in Guatemala, 30 in Togo,” he continued. “We help educate, provide housing, and help with adoption services.”
Master Provisions orchestrates shipping containers of clothing overseas. It clothes many people in Togo. But if the clothing is unusable or culturally inappropriate, the organization shreds it and uses it as stuffing or filler. Nothing goes to waste.
Lighter-weight clothing is slated for warm-weather countries. Winter clothing stays in the local community or is sent to the Appalachian region. Master Provisions has an ongoing relationship with Manna From Heaven Outreach in Myra (Pike County). Once a month, a truck makes the eight-hour round trip between northern and eastern Kentucky.
Manna From Heaven’s co-founder, Lois Tackett, said that it is always a treat to see what is available, and she looks forward to sharing goods with the people who come to her food pantry and the organizations to which she distributes, such as orphanages and veterans’ groups in multiple counties in the region. “We have people who need this food to survive,” she said. “They have to choose between paying for their medicine or food, so at least we can help with the food.”
After the devastating floods of last summer, eastern Kentucky needs more help than ever. Tackett, who had three feet of water in her house, lost all her furniture and a vehicle, but she continues to help others in the community through Manna From Heaven. “Master Provisions is a blessing to all of us,” she said. “We need prayers the most, and then we need anything to eat or tools to work with.”
Looking to the Future
Master Provisions currently is housed in a 17,500-square-foot warehouse, plus it has many offsite storage facilities. The goal is to find a 50,000-square-foot space where it can consolidate and grow, but Babik and company have not yet found such a location. A build-to-suit facility, which would require a fundraising campaign, is under consideration.
Babik is confident that the organization’s needs will be filled. “Our main focus is helping people who have food and clothing needs, and we do that to uplift them spiritually and physically,” he said. “At the same time, we also want to be of service to our nonprofit partners to make it easier for them to serve others.”