URBANA, IL (Chambana Today) – Eric Hodel, a University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign alumnus, has carved a unique path from his childhood on a Central Illinois farm to becoming the CEO of Midwest Food Bank, one of the nation’s largest faith-based food banks. Hodel’s story is deeply rooted in agriculture and community service, values instilled in him from an early age.
Raised on a farm, Hodel witnessed his parents’ dedication to volunteering and giving back. He carried that mindset through his education at the University of Illinois, where he studied agricultural and biological engineering and took on leadership roles, including vice president of the American Society of Agricultural Engineers.
After 20 years at Caterpillar, where he held various engineering and leadership roles, Hodel felt a calling to serve in a capacity that honored his faith and supported those in need. This led him back to his family farm in Metamora and into the nonprofit sector with Midwest Food Bank, founded by a McLean County farm family in 2003 to share agricultural abundance with the hungry.
As CEO and a farmer, Hodel draws parallels between feeding the world through agriculture and feeding vulnerable populations through the food bank. Midwest Food Bank distributes nearly $525 million in nutritious food annually, including their signature Tender Mercies meals, fortified with essential nutrients.
Hodel emphasizes that faith and resilience guide both farming and nonprofit work. “On the farm, you can do everything right, but it is still up to God to give you the rain. In nonprofit work, there is a definite element of trust and faith that the food and the funding will come.”
Hodel remains connected to the University of Illinois, serving on advisory boards and supporting future leaders, including his son, who is pursuing a degree in Agricultural Education, Leadership and Communications.