FRESH NEWS April 2023

MANNA's extensive network of community-based nonprofit partners serves as the frontline of food insecurity relief in Western North Carolina. Indeed, these partners make the daily food distribution work we do possible – stepping up time and time again to meet the steadily increasing need for food in our region with compassion and generosity. But even with this support, MANNA and our partners are bracing for the next wave of neighbors who find themselves on the precipice of a "hunger cliff" worsened by the end of emergency SNAP allotments.

This looming cliff will affect all age groups and all parts of North Carolina, particularly rural areas like the ones we serve across 16 counties, including the Qualla Boundary. The end of these allotments will impact more than 813,076 households in our state, with households with children, seniors, and those working lower-wage jobs facing the steepest cliff. On average, each SNAP participant will lose $82 a month – a major blow for neighbors already struggling to afford the basic groceries they need every day just to survive.

The end of these allotments only serves to exacerbate food insecurity in WNC, where neighbors already grapple with an ongoing socioeconomic perfect storm: lower-than-average wages combined with skyrocketing housing costs and increased living costs, including food and transportation. Now, just three months into 2023, MANNA is serving record numbers of people in our region – more than we served during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. This reduction in SNAP benefits is significant because SNAP has a $6 million economic impact on our region.

Mission in Action: The prospect of weathering this gathering storm is daunting, but there are a few ways you can help raise awareness about what the end of emergency SNAP allotments means for neighbors in our region:

1. Call or personally contact your representatives. Legislators need to know the impact these circumstances will have on everyone, particularly neighbors struggling with food insecurity.
2. Share information about the end of emergency SNAP allotments. We want everyone impacted by this change to be prepared.
3. Share information about food resources in WNC. MANNA's Food Finder map can help families find additional food.
4. Share our Food Helpline number: 1-800-820-1109. Or you can schedule an appointment with a member of our Helpline team.

Sources: Food Research & Action Center (FRAC), U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)

MANNA FoodBank is a non-partisan organization dedicated to sharing information about the issues affecting the people we serve, and we do not endorse political parties or candidates. We simply ask community members to work with our elected officials to make legislation that works for us all and makes our region, our state, and our country stronger from the ground up.

Q: How does SNAP work?

A: SNAP provides nutrition benefits to supplement the food budgets of people experiencing food insecurity. People using SNAP receive monthly funds through an Electronic Benefits (EBT) card to buy groceries at food retailers of all kinds.

Q: Who is eligible for SNAP?

A: SNAP can help people struggling with food insecurity—including college students, seniors, and people with lower-wage jobs—buy the food they need. MANNA's Food Helpline team can help you determine your eligibility and assist in the application/recertification process. Call 1-800-820-1109 to learn more.

Q: Where are SNAP benefits accepted?

A: SNAP benefits can be used at most locations that sell groceries, including some farmer's markets. Here's a map of SNAP retailers in the U.S.

Q: Do you need to be employed to apply for SNAP?

A: There are some general work requirements for people ages 16-59 and able to work, including registering for work, participating in SNAP E&T, taking a suitable job if offered, and not quitting/reducing work hours below the limit without good reason.

Q: SNAP, WIC, TEFAP – what's the difference?

A: SNAP, WIC, and TEFAP are three separate federally funded health and nutrition programs supporting low-income households. If the eligibility requirements are met for each, it is possible to qualify for all three programs at the same time. The Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) program provides supplemental food assistance for women who are pregnant or postpartum, infants, and children up to age five. The Temporary Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP) provides supplemental food assistance for low-income households. TEFAP eligibility requirements vary by state.

Visit our SNAP FAQ webpage to learn more about SNAP and other resources.

In celebration of 70 years on the air, WYFF News 4 in Greenville, S.C., is hosting four "Feed It Forward" fundraising and awareness campaigns – starting with a virtual telethon TODAY at MANNA!

The station will be broadcasting live from MANNA throughout the day, concluding with the 6PM broadcast. We're grateful for this opportunity to educate the public about the state of hunger in Western North Carolina and MANNA's daily food security work as well as provide ways people can make an impact during these challenging times. Tune in TODAY, April 5, to learn more about MANNA and ways you can support our neighbors throughout WNC.

Tickets are selling fast for Table for Three, MANNA's partnership with the Asheville-area's nationally recognized independent restaurant scene! Buy a ticket (or two) and you'll be entered to win an outstanding grand prize: A meal for two at 52 of the Asheville area's top local restaurants. That's a year's worth of dining out at a value of more than $3,500!

We're excited to welcome new and returning Restaurant Partners for this popular raffle. Participating restaurants include:

• 52 of the Asheville area's most beloved restaurants – from high-end to quick service, pate to pizza, and everything in between
• 16 new Restaurant Partners for the 2023 raffle
• Four 2022 James Beard Nominees
• One very special package from our friends at Biltmore: a meal for two at Cedric's Tavern AND two passes to the Biltmore Estate

Each ticket supports MANNA's vital work providing food for WNC neighbors struggling to make ends meet. With every ticket sold, MANNA can provide enough food to feed a neighbor a daily meal for more than an entire year. That's why we call it Table for Three. 

In 2021, Micah and Keeka Grant-Tomlinson, former MANNA staffers, conquered the formidable Appalachian Trail – and this year, they've set their sights even higher: the 2,600+ mile Pacific Crest Trail stretching from Mexico to Canada! Follow their progress on Facebook, Instagram, and their website as they raise funds for MANNA and awareness about the ever-increasing need for food in Western North Carolina. Micah and Keeka are hosting a Hiking for Hunger kickoff party on April 7 in advance of their 2023 hike, which begins April 12. Read about their plans, follow their progress, and get inspired about turning miles into meals at https://hikingforhunger.org. 

This year, MANNA is celebrating 40 years of involving, educating, and uniting people in the work of ending hunger in Western North Carolina ... and we invite the community to celebrate with us!

One way you can get involved is by sharing your MANNA memories and stories with us. What does MANNA mean to you? What keeps you coming back to MANNA as a volunteer or supporter year after year? Do you have pictures, stories, or other pieces of MANNA memorabilia to share? We're gathering stories, memories, photos, and video testimonials from you – our community of supporters, partners, volunteers, and neighbors.

Scan the QR code at left, fill out this form, or e-mail your memories to [email protected] to help us celebrate the rich history of MANNA’s first 40 years in our region.

Do you have to be rich to have an estate plan? Absolutely not! Many believe that the more modest your estate, the greater your need to arrange for its careful handling and allocation – to make it stretch further and to help those closest to you.

Look at the full extent of your assets. When the matter of resources comes up, there’s an inclination to focus on stocks and bonds. But your possessions may include other assets that have value, such as your home, life insurance, retirement accounts, and real estate or business investments. Visit our website to learn more about estate planning.

We're sending a well-deserved thank you + shoutout to Food Lion for their recent donation of 2,400 lbs. of food to stock Feeding Avery Families' new location in Newland! Food Lion did more than bring food, however – 20+ store managers also showed up to help Feeding Avery Families settle into their brand-new home at 189 Old Vale Rd. The new building provides more space and better choice market options for neighbors in Avery County. The official ribbon cutting ceremony is set for Wednesday, April 26.

• Bimbo Bakeries
• Bright Farms
• Flavor 1st Growers & Packers
• Foggy Bottoms Apple Growers

• Lipman Produce
• MilkCo
• Paul Collins Produce

• Aldi
• Dollar General
• Food Lion
• Fresh Market
• Publix
• Sam's Club

• Target
• Trader Joe's
• Walmart
• Whole Foods

• Combined Federal Campaign
• State Employees Credit Union
• United Way of Asheville and Buncombe County
• United Way of Haywood County
• United Way of Henderson County

January-March 2023: 425,941 lbs. of food donated.

Thank you, Ingles Markets, for your extraordinary partnership with us in efforts to end hunger in our region.

• HM Life Insurance Company

• Harris Teeter
• Publix Supermarkets

• Mast General Store

Thank you for supporting the work we do and for supporting neighbors in need. Together, we can end hunger in our region.

Speak Up. Change Lives.

Our mission is to involve, educate, and unite people in the work of ending hunger in Western North Carolina – and a critical part of this mission is advocating for those experiencing the effects of income insecurity and food insecurity.

That's where you come in.

We are a non-partisan organization dedicated to sharing information about the issues affecting the people we serve, and we do not endorse political parties or candidates. We simply ask community members to work with our elected officials to make legislation that works for us all and makes our region, our state, and our country stronger from the ground up.

Click here if you'd like to receive advocacy-related emails from MANNA FoodBank. Soon you will begin receiving information from us about ways you can use your voice and actions to help us end hunger in our region.

Connect with the MANNA community on these social media platforms!