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Master Provisions continues to do more, MPower Lunch provides opportunity for community to help


The theme of the Master Provisions MPower Lunch at the Airport Marriott in Hebron was, fittingly, “Together, let’s do more!”

Babik

Master Provisions has been “doing more,” by connecting resources to needs since the organization was founded in 1994 to function as an international clothing ministry and to provide support for orphan care.

Along the way, Master Provisions increased the focus on local and regional efforts as a food partner and through its mobile food pantries in collaboration with Isaiah House.

While it still provides worldwide assistance through direct aid and missions trips, 80 percent of the Master Provisions ministry work is local.

Roger Babik, president and founder of Master Provisions, said he feels like the most blessed person in the world to lead an organization with such a dedicated staff, board members, donors, and volunteer who care.

He emphasized that the vision of Master Provisions has remained unchanged during its 23 years in existence.

“Our stewardship goal is to be the best resource manager possible,” Babik said. “If you had a giant pipeline of blessing and you put in all the food, all the clothing, all the resources and money, you would find, through Master Provisions, 95 percent of that amount flows right back out to directly assist people living in crisis.”

The local work is coordinated with mission partners through basic resourcing and care that impacts more than 35,000 people every month in the community.

“We are a unique ministry in that we redeem resources and we redeem the lives of people at the same time,” Babik said. “We are driven by volunteers and we have a very diverse volunteer group. We see lives changed each day and we have fun doing it.”

Thomas More College President David A. Armstrong speaks about how the Northern Kentucky community’s giving spirit helps spur the mission of Master Provisions (photos by Mark Hansel).

Guest speaker David A. Armstrong, president of Thomas More College, offered a series of inspirational quotes to explain how the mission of Master Provisions is driven by the volunteer spirit of people in the region.

“The people of Northern Kentucky walk the walk,” Armstrong said. “I am so amazed at how much I see people giving back and taking care of other people in this area.”

Guest speaker Chuck Mingo, Oakley Campus Pastor for Crossroads Church, said Master Provisions does a lot of things well, but it’s not their tasks that makes them stand out.

“They’re great at logistics, but that’s not their differentiator, they are great at providing food, but that is not what makes them special,” Mingo said. “They feed orphans around the world, but that’s not what makes them amazing. Their point of differentiation is that Master Provisions shows up through people. ”

Mingo recalled a conversation where Babik explained the practice of volunteers giving minutes from their day to help people grow personally and complete their mission.

“I want you to know that today, when you invest in Master Provisions, you are investing in people who show up,” Mingo said. “They show up to meet physical needs and to lift the hands of the partners they serve alongside and the people they serve when they most need it.”

Chuck Mingo, Crossroads Church Oakley Campus Pastor, speaks to the MPower Lunch crowd.

Darin Mirante, senior pastor, First Church of Christ, offered the invocation and Russ Howard, serve minister, Lakeside Christian Church, provided the closing remarks and prayer.

St. Elizabeth Healthcare and MarkCo Plumbing and Honor Design Pros sponsored lunch, ensuring that the money donated by those in attendance went directly to Master Provisions.

Liz Bonis, news anchor and medical reporter with WKRC-TV and a longtime supporter of Master Provisions, was the emcee again this year.

“This organization does a lot with a little, and they do it in a very big way,” Bonis said.

The goal of the luncheon was to raise $150,000 in contributions to help fund the Master Provisions mission in the coming year.

The Master Provisions mobile pantries help more than 600 families in Ludlow and Covington each month and its more than 5,700 volunteers contribute nearly 34,000 hours.

In 2016 Master Provisions distributed 3.2 million pounds of food and 330,510 pounds of clothing.

For more information about the services provided by Master Provisions, or information regarding volunteer and donation opportunities, click here.

Contact Mark Hansel at mark.hansel@nkytrib.com


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