Hello Manna,

As spring unfolds around us, I hope this letter finds you feeling energized. As I watch the lettuce in my garden grow and new native plants in my yard attract birds, I feel hopeful about the months to come. In that spirit, I want to invite you to participate in #DoMore24 today, the DMV's largest annual day of giving! DoMore24 rallies support for local not-for-profit organizations like Manna Food Center to help us grow and thrive. Mobilizing together as a sector can move the needle of social change exponentially as our peers and partners work to support self-sufficiency and economic justice. I ask you to consider making a donation to Manna today of any amount that works for you. Your support is critical to our mission of ending hunger as requests for food surge more than 30% over last spring. 

When considering “hunger,” we don't always think about limited transportation choices, lack of access to culturally relevant foods, or how policy decisions can impact day-to-day life; yet these issues affect the food security of our neighbors.  In March, a decrease in SNAP benefits resulted in a hunger cliff that impacted an estimated 347,000 Maryland residents and drove the highest participation in Manna food distributions on record. Giving today will allow us to continue to innovate and collaborate with community partners as we all work together towards #FoodForAll. 

Read on to learn about more spring activities that your support makes possible: our partners at the Department of Transportation are rallying support for their annual Ride On Food Drive. We had the pleasure of hosting a celebration of 40 years of service at our warehouse earlier this month; I'm excited to share some photos and remarks from the event below. Last is an update on Manna’s recent participation in the National Anti-Hunger Policy Conference to advocate on behalf of our neighbors here in Montgomery County. 

Thank you for your help to #DoMore24 together, as we build a hopeful future for everyone in Montgomery County.

Jackie DeCarlo

CEO, Manna Food Center

(Above) Manna Board Members and CEO Jackie DeCarlo Celebrate!

(Below) Council Members Marilyn Balcombe, Kate Stewart, Andrew Friedson, and Laurie-Anne Sayles.

Council Vice President Andrew Friedson remarked: “Tonight really reinforces the County's partnership with Manna Food, which only became more critical during COVID as we saw not new issues, but the expansion of existing issues…like childhood hunger and hunger more broadly. Thank you so much for everything that Manna does. I hope that in 40 years this organization is not needed...But until then, it is so desperately critical, Manna is needed more than ever. The county council and county government is here to support you.”

Click Learn More for more information and a full list of drop off locations.

We urged them to increase effective benefits, remove unnecessary barriers and time limits to critical services, and extend support to vulnerable groups such as college students. Right now, the real-time impacts of policy on hunger are recognizable and serious. After SNAP benefits were reduced in March, Manna's distribution attendance skyrocketed and served over 5,400 households (surpassing our service levels during the height of the pandemic). Advocating on behalf of our participants on policy decisions is crucial to Manna’s mission, and we will continue to pursue solutions that challenge the root causes of hunger.

Last month we gathered in person to break bread and discuss the Community Supported Agriculture programs, the barriers, successes, and how it promotes food systems vulnerability. Join us next month for a virtual conversation on transportation access and how it impacts food access, Wednesday, June 21st 12pm-1pm. We hope to see you there!