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Matthews Crossing Food Bank with Executive Director Jan Terhune

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Matthews Crossing Food Bank with Executive Director Jan Terhune

Matthew’s Crossing Food Bank’s mission is to provide food and other basic necessities to our neighbors in need and unites the community in the fight against hunger. Matthew’s Crossing is a 501(c)(3) organization that provides emergency food assistance to those in need throughout the East Valley. The food bank provides hunger relief with these programs: emergency food boxes, holiday food boxes, Meals to Grow (weekend backpacks, on-campus food closets, summer snack packs and School-2-School) and Read to Grow (lobby library for children birth to 14 years).  

In 2017-2018, the food bank provided hunger relief to 123,124 (80,000 emergency food boxes, 1000 holiday food boxes, 2,600 senior food boxes, Meals to Grow backpacks 26,000. Meals to Grow on-campus food closets 6,476) Meals to Grow summer snack packs 7,000).

In this past fiscal year, the food bank launched the senior program, added the first pre-K backpack program (City of Tempe pre-K), increased holiday food boxes, passed the distribution of 30,000 new children’s books, and piloted the School-2-School program. The number of backpacks grew from 250 to 1000 weekly; the food closets from 3 schools to 12; summer snack packs from 100 to 7000. The School-2-School program at Gilbert High School packs and delivers 500 backpacks each week to Thew Elementary students. The goal of all emergency food assistance is to provide hunger relief to children and adults so that they can do better in school and in life.

Jan Terhune currently serves as the Executive Director for Matthew’s Crossing Food Bank. Jan joined the food bank in October 2014. Jan has a Bachelors’ degree in Education from the University of Arizona and a Master’s in Business Administration from Indiana.

Prior to Jan’s work with Matthew’s Crossing, Jan worked for a national non-profit that advocated for children. Prior to this work, Jan worked for two local Indiana nonprofits and taught at Indiana State University.

Jan began her work in nonprofit management after completing her Bachelors’ degree and began her professional career working for the Muscular Dystrophy Association. Jan has over 40 years of experience in managing non- profits, most in child advocacy. Jan has an exceptional talent for growing small, vulnerable non-profits into healthy viable organizations who serve those in need.

Jan is a Mom to one son, Joshua; and has three grandchildren Ross, Mia and Tyler. Jan’s mantra is “Do more, better”.

Follow Matthew’s Crossing on Twitter and Facebook.