August eNewsletter

Hello Manna,

Greetings from the end of another busy summer, quickly drawing to a close. As students and educators return to classrooms and the colorful abundance of summer gardens tapers away, I’m grateful for everyone who contributes to making #FoodForAll even one step closer. This is especially true for our community partners and local farmers. In the spirit of gratitude, I’m excited to share with you the latest annual report from the Farm to Food Bank Program. F2FB is an initiative increasing access to local, fresh, nutritious food for County residents who are challenged by hunger. The program also serves to build the capacity of our local producers committed to sustainability.

Now in its third year, F2FB is a partnership with the Montgomery County Food Council and the County Office of Agriculture and is made possible by generous funding from: the Greater Washington Community Foundation, the Sodexo Stop Hunger Foundation, Business Leaders Fighting Hunger and the County Department of Health and Human Services. In FY22, the program produced the equivalent of 64,110 meals of fresh food for Manna and 45 other food assistance providers, as well as invested $141,533 in capacity building grants for 20 farm partners. I urge you to check out the beautiful images and heartfelt testimonies in the full report here.

Read on also to hear about an exciting volunteer opportunity with the Community Food Rescue team, which is a critical link in the F2FB supply chain. You’ll also learn about the grand opening of a new choice distribution site at the Universities at Shady Grove. Last but certainly not least, we’re sharing highlights from a recent collaboration with the East County Hub!

Wishing you a restful and safe labor day weekend, thanks for all that you do to #EndHunger!

Jackie DeCarlo

CEO, Manna Food Center

Seeking CFR Volunteer Food Runners

Do you have some extra time and want to help your community? Join Manna’s Community Food Rescue team and become a food runner! Community Food Rescue (CFR) is the coordinated food recovery network for Montgomery County, Maryland.

The network enhances the good work of businesses, individuals, and organizations by recovering and redistributing good food to people experiencing hunger.

We are in need of volunteer food runners – Individuals, families and/or groups to transport donated food from the food businesses to food assistance organizations. Food runners are a vital part of the CFR network, transporting food donations when recipient organizations may not have the capacity to pick up food donations.

We seek interested individuals who are 18+, have a clean vehicle with insurance, driver’s license, and a good driving record. You will pick up and deliver food to agencies throughout Montgomery County according to your availability, and you choose the food runs that fit your schedule. The role requires being able to speak, read, and write in English, as well as access to a computer/internet access and a smart phone with texting capabilities.

To learn more and to sign up, visit: www.communityfoodrescue.org Click on DELIVER. If you have questions, contact: Cheryl Kollin, Program Director: cheryl@communityfoodrescue.org

Manna Choice Market at the Grove Kickoff

This month we organized our newest distribution site, the Manna Choice Market at the Grove, in partnership with the Universities at Shady Grove. Despite an unexpected summer storm, dedicated staff, volunteers, and partners made our soft launch in August a success. We look forward to holding a grand opening next month on September 14th and serving the USG Community for many months to come.

East County Hub Food Expo and Community Connections

It was our pleasure to participate in the East County Hub Food Expo and Community Connections last Saturday! Our team welcomed community members and shared more than 4,600 pounds of produce, and a range of resources, including information for SNAP (aka Food Stamps) Access support. Our friends at Rainbow Community Development Center and Kingdom Fellowship also supplied food as well as back-to-school resources. A range of local vendors made for a wonderful community building day!

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