Manna on Main Street

This week is Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week. It is an opportunity to learn about and take action to end hunger and homelessness in our community. Opportunities to take action are listed below. DID YOU KNOW? In 2023 and again in 2024, Manna has set records for amounts of food distributed and number of people served, as more and more households rely on Manna for food and other services and support. The impact of soaring housing costs, skyrocketing food prices, and the rollback of pandemic-era benefits has led to dramatically increased demand for food from community-based organizations like Manna. In fact, according to the USDA, more people are at risk of hunger right now than at any time in the last decade. Manna’s Kitchen has grown from serving 5,000 free meals every month in spring 2022 to over 13,000 meals every month currently. We continue to set records for meals served each month, driven primarily by our to-go meal program, which has grown by 50% just in the past year. We broke our record of monthly meals provided numerous times in the past year. Manna’s Market, which provides free groceries, is also growing dramatically. The number of people served by the Market is up nearly 10% in the past year, and dozens of new households each month are enrolling to shop in the Market. In fact, 5-8% of all Market visits each month are from households that are shopping at Manna for the first time. Over the past two years combined, Manna’s Market has served 2,470 unique households comprised of 7,334 individuals. OPPORTUNITIES TO TAKE ACTION: 1.?As the weather gets colder, Manna has a need for critical items for individuals who use our shower services. If you are interested in contributing, you can have items listed in our Amazon Wishlist linked below delivered directly to Manna, or you can drop them off at Manna’s main facility at 606 E. Main St., Lansdale, PA 19446 from 9am to 5pm Monday through Friday and from 10am to 2pm Saturday and Sunday. Link: https://lnkd.in/eGmW5Wgw 2.??As the holiday season approaches, we are preparing for a few holiday-related program closures. The first, Thanksgiving, is quickly approaching! For each day that we are closed, we provide bagged meals in advance to all who come to Manna for meals, and we need your support to do so! This is a project you can do from anywhere: We need volunteers who can shop for and assemble bagged breakfasts and lunches that we will distribute the day before each time we are closed. This is a great opportunity for groups, and can also be done by individuals and families. We will provide guidance on what these bags should contain. While we will need hundreds over the course of the season, any amount that you can support is a huge help. To learn more, email Meg at [email protected]. Thank you for your support as we provide dignity and compassion and services for our neighbors in the North Penn region. #EndHunger #EndHomelessness #HHWeek

Here’s a great opportunity to help Manna and all those we serve, especially at this critical moment as we are experiencing soaring demand for food. Saturday, November 16, is the annual Boy Scouts of America Food Drive! Manna on Main Street is once again participating in this food drive, organized locally by Cradle of Liberty Council. If Scouts left a hanger on your door, please consider donating non-perishable food items in a bag or box, and leave it in a visible location outside your home by 8:30am TOMORROW, Saturday, November 16. Please do not include perishable foods, frozen foods, or items in glass jars. Suggested donations include: Peanut butter & jelly (plastic containers, not jars) Cooking oil Canned tuna or meat Canned fruits & vegetables Canned stews & soups Whole grain pasta 100% juice Rice Condiments (ketchup, mayonnaise, mustard) Pasta Sides (Chef Boyardee, Knorr products, etc) For more information: https://colbsa.org/food/ Thank you! #ScoutingForFood #FoodDrive #EndHunger

At Manna on Main Street, we believe a shower should be available to everyone. As the weather gets colder, we have a need for critical items for individuals who use our shower services. If you are interested in contributing, here is a link to what we need (new, in package): https://lnkd.in/eGmW5Wgw You can have items delivered directly to Manna, or you can drop them off at Manna’s main facility at 606 E. Main St., Lansdale, PA 19446 from 9am to 5pm Monday through Friday and from 10am to 2pm Saturday and Sunday. Manna’s shower is available from 9am to 4:15pm Monday through Friday, subject to change. Manna provides shower supplies to all who use the shower. Thank you!

All veterans are inviting to a Veterans Day celebration on Monday, November 11 at North Penn Commons (606 E. Main St., Lansdale, PA 19446). The event will include a continental breakfast catered by Manna’s Common Grounds Training Program, followed by a ceremony honoring veterans. See the attached image for more information. We hope to see you on Monday! #VeteransDay #Community #MontcoPA

Cohort 41 is in full swing at Manna’s Common Grounds Training Program with Carla, Mike, Art, Mir, Malik and Alan supporting Manna’s food production like they’ve always been here! This week our cohort has practiced Soft Skills in classes with Robin, learned how to make vinaigrettes and mayonnaise in Culinary Skills Lab with Chef Lou, and are going on a field trip this afternoon to learn more about Asian ingredients and cuisines. Our next cohort begins Monday, January 6, and runs for nine weeks. Call or text Sue at 215-353-3727 for more information or to apply! #CatalystKitchens #Community #JobTraining

**Holiday Season Emergency Meals: Remote Volunteer Opportunity** As the holiday season approaches, we are preparing for a few holiday-related program closures. The first, Thanksgiving, is quickly approaching! For each day that we are closed, we provide bagged meals in advance to all who come to Manna for meals, and we need your support to do so! This is a project you can do from anywhere: We need volunteers who can shop for and assemble bagged breakfasts and lunches that we will distribute the day before each time we are closed. This is a great opportunity for groups, and can also be done by individuals and families. We will provide guidance on what these bags should contain. While we will need hundreds over the course of the season, any amount that you can support is a huge help. To learn more, please email Manna’s Director of Volunteer & Community Engagement, Meg Currie Teoh, at [email protected]. Thank you so much for your consideration! #Community #Food #Volunteer

Need help paying your heating bills? The Pennsylvania Department of Human Services Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) is accepting applications for financial assistance of between $200 and $1,000. Households experiencing a heating crisis may be eligible for additional benefits through the LIHEAP crisis program. For more information and to apply: https://dhs.pa.gov/LIHEAP

A note from Susan O’Neil, Director of Market Operations, Manna on Main Street: “A few years ago Manna very intentionally switched from providing actual gifts to providing gift cards to Manna’s Market families so that parents can choose the best way to support their children during the holiday season. This prioritizes the dignity of the families we serve – dignity which we work to prioritize every day at Manna. Please give today to our Hope for the Holidays campaign and make a real difference in the lives of our neighbors. Thank you!” Our goal is to provide a $75 Visa gift card for all eligible children enrolled in Manna’s Market, along with a $25 Giant gift card for each family. Our goal is to raise $57,000. We have raised $47,655 so far. Help us raise the final $9,345 by donating today using this link: https://lnkd.in/edns3cEH Thank you!

Manna on Main Street, a comprehensive hunger relief organization dedicated to providing essential services to individuals and families facing food insecurity, seeks an accountant to be part of our dynamic organization. Check out the job listing at https://ideali.st/AU3zMD and apply today if interested and qualified. Interviews will begin the week of November 11 for a job start of December 16.

From October 23-November 30, the Wegmans store by the Montgomery Mall in North Wales will be running their annual Check Out Hunger campaign. Customers can add a donation at the cash register and 100% of the funds collected from the North Wales store will benefit Manna on Main Street and all those we serve. Thank you so much for your support! #EndHunger #CheckOutHunger #MontcoPA