Manna Food Center, a not-for-profit organization, strives to eliminate hunger in Montgomery County through food distribution, education, and advocacy.
What we do is simple and essential. Manna Food Center fights hunger in Montgomery County primarily by collecting and distributing two million pounds of food each year to needy individuals and families. Manna provides a three to five-day supply of perishable and nonperishable food to each individual or family at one of seven distribution points in the County. Manna also distributes food to Montgomery County homeless shelters, soup kitchens, group homes, and low-income housing areas.
We serve nearly 20,000 families annually. Manna serves clients based solely on need. Many of our clients come to us in crisis and require emergency food. Others find themselves consistently unable to put food on the table because of low-income jobs and the high cost of housing and health care. Clients are referred to Manna from three hundred different sources – faith-based organizations, social service organizations, schools, doctors, employee assistance programs, charitable organizations, etc.
Sadly, far too many of Montgomery's residents are at risk of hunger. Did you know it takes an income of $60,000 to support a family of four in Montgomery County today? More than a quarter of Montgomery County residents do not earn enough to achieve self-sufficiency. Steep increases in the cost of basic necessities such as housing, groceries, gasoline, and health care have put tremendous pressure on poor families in Montgomery County. Manna has seen the impact of these unfortunate trends and is helping an increasing number of adults and children each year.
Manna Food Center also provides more than half a million pounds of food at no charge each year to twenty-five partner organizations, including emergency shelters, group homes, soup pantries, and soup kitchens. This frees up $1 million annually to fund drug rehabilitation, life skill training, child care, and shelter.
With your help, we make a difference. Since its founding in 1983, Manna has:
- distributed more than 24 million pounds of food
- served more than 1.7 million County residents including 800,000 children and 400,000 elderly and/or disabled individuals.
- distributed millions of pounds of food to homeless shelters, soup kitchens, and group homes located in Montgomery County.
- provided food on a weekly basis to 24 low-income housing areas in the County.
Manna depends on the generosity of individuals and organizations to sustain its essential operations. Manna fills its shelves through donations from local grocery stores, community food drives, individuals, state and federal emergency food grant programs, and by purchasing fresh produce and cereal. Manna is partially funded by state and local governments as well as by United Way and workplace campaigns, corporate gifts, and foundation grants.
Ninety-four cents of every donated dollar goes directly to feed the hungry. Manna is able to accomplish this by operating with a bare bones staff of thirteen employees and by relying on the help of hundreds of generous volunteers.
