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Dear Manna Supporter,
Get Ready! This summer, caterers, farmers, grocers, restaurants, and other food businesses with surplus food to donate will be able to easily find hunger relief organizations that will gladly receive donated food. Manna is coordinating the Community Food Rescue network as a way to build the capacity of organizations to feed more and waste less.
I am proud to announce that this month Community Food Rescue will launch its free automated web application powered by Peninsula Food Runners, a non-profit food recovery organization based in the San Francisco Bay Area. It's the Uber of food recovery.
"We're very excited to bring this auto-matching software to Montgomery County", Kevin Trostle, Manna Food Center's Director of Operations, said. The application has been working in the Bay Area for more than a year and matches 30,000 meals every week! While our partner organizations recover and redistribute food to people experiencing hunger every day here in Montgomery County, the Web application will make matches easier. CFR's Volunteer Food Runners will make it possible to move smaller quantities of food all around the County more efficiently." This technology is made possible thanks to funding from The Montgomery County Department of Health and Human Services and The William S. Abell Foundation.
On behalf of our network of hunger organizations and donor businesses, Manna is seeking Volunteer Food Runners to help move smaller quantities around Montgomery County in their cars, SUVs, and mini-vans.
The applications algorithms match donors, recipient organizations, and volunteers based on several criteria, including type of food-such as fresh produce, dairy and other refrigerated foods. Other matching criteria include quantity of food, timing of pick-up, and location. A food run starts when a donor posts a food donation. The application will match it with a recipient organization and, if needed, an alert will go out to volunteer food runners, according to their preferred timing and location. The first volunteer to respond gets the food run. After a food run, all three participants complete a short Yelp-type evaluation to rate their experience.
Sign up HERE if you would like to be a Food Runner and our team will send you more details. We will be beta testing the software beginning August 27. September 8th will be the official launch. A mobile app version will be ready in November. Now is the time to sign up. All participants will get a welcome packet and identity gear to help show how you are helping feed more and wasting less.
Thank you for being part of this new network of organizations and individuals serving the county.
Jackie DeCarlo Executive Director
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Manna in the News
Manna Food Center was selected as Share Our Strength: Cooking Matters', Featured Partnership for the summer. Check out the exciting ways our nutrition education team uses technology to teach residents how to shop healthy on a budget.
Manna has received a lot of wonderful recognition this month. We are proud of the work we are doing, but we wanted to take a moment to thank all of you! Without support from the community, we would not be able to continue this work.
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| Season of Giving and Growing
Traditionally here at Manna, the amount of donated canned goods we receive decreases in the summer, but the amount of fresh produce we receive explodes! This season our community partners are donating something new, the skills and materials clients need to grow fresh foods of their own at home.
Through their Growing Gardeners program almost 3 dozen Montgomery County Master Gardeners (MCMG) helped 244 Manna clients plant tomatoes, peppers & herbs for their families. The goal was to teach families that they could grow some of their own vegetables on their balconies, terraces, and in small yards. MCMG provided them with seedlings, pots, planting medium and guidance on how to garden.
Growing Gardeners is just one way that Montgomery County Master Gardeners partner with Manna. They donate most of the Derwood Demonstration Garden's harvest to Manna - over 1,800 pounds in 2014 - and this year they are working with Manna to provide clients with simple, inexpensive recipes using the crops they deliver.
In addition to MCMG's great work, Asian American LEAD held their own summer program, Summer Serve. Youth spent 5 weeks preparing, planting, growing, and taking care of four mobile container gardens. Each garden contains a variety of plants and vegetables. Since AALEAD's program focused on food sustainability and community engagement they thought that Manna would be the perfect organization to receive these gardens.
These four gardens were given to Manna clients and just like the Growing Gardeners program, these gardens provide families an opportunity to grow fresh produce at home.
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Wegmans Donates a "Truck-Load" of Food
We were very excited to have Wegmans staff at Manna on July 30th. Not only did they come prepared to pack boxes of food for clients, but they also brought a whole truck filled with nonperishable food. The Wegmans' food donation topped 18,500 pounds of food! This food will help keep our shelves stocked throughout the summer. This truck-load from Wegmans will help over 900 families.
Thank you to Wegmans for your continued support of Manna Food Center!
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Back to School Smart Sacks
Food Drive was a Success!
Thank you to all those who volunteered this weekend and to all who made a donation during the food drive. We could not have done it without you!
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Ripken Collegiate Baseball Players Collect 5,151 Pounds of Food for Manna
 On Saturday July 18, nearly one hundred college baseball players from across the country collected a single season record 5,151 pounds of food for Manna Food Center. The Rockville Express won the Sixth Annual Cal Ripken Collegiate Baseball League's Feed the Hungry Challenge by collecting a team record, 2,145 pounds of food. Players from the Bethesda Big Train, Gaithersburg Giants, and Silver Spring-Takoma Thunderbolts also collected food. In the six years of the competition, the college players who visit Maryland to participate in the league, have collected 26,773 pounds of food for Montgomery County.
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 More Ways to Volunteer
Check out our year round opportunities!
Food Distribution (DISTRO) Volunteer
SSL Eligible
Must be 17 years of age or older
Volunteers (17 years of age or older) help with a variety of tasks such as packing and sorting food, bagging produce and meat, assisting clients to their car, and taking in food donations. Volunteers are needed every day Monday through Friday; shift 9am to 3pm. Volunteers should be comfortable standing on their feet, bending, reaching and lifting, 5-25 pounds.
For more information and/or to register for this opportunity, please email Marie at volunteer@mannafood.org and put DISTRO in the subject line.
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Second Saturday Food Distribution
Second Saturday distribution at Manna's Gaithersburg warehouse takes place from 11:30am - 1:30pm on the 2nd Saturday of each month. Next opportunity is September 12th.
To receive food, clients must have a referral in by the preceding Friday at 3pm to pick up food on the 2nd Saturday. Visit the Manna website for upcoming dates and additional information. |
A Heartfelt Thank You to Our
We extend a warm and sincere THANK YOU to all of the organizations and businesses that have donated food and funds during the month of July 2015. Without your incredible generosity, we would not be able to feed the families in need in our community. If we accidentally missed your business or organization in our list, please email Therese Lampe and we will make the correction in our next list. We wish we could list each of the individuals who also contribute to Manna, but the list would be endless. Thank you again for your support!
Access Intelligence
Ada and Albert Wibel Foundation
Adat Shalom Congregation
Alfred D. Noyes Children's Center
Am Kolel Sanctuary and
Renewal Ctr.
Asbury Communities
Bargain Movers
Bethesda Central Farmers' Market
Bethesda Co-op
Blair G. Ewing Center
Bloom
Brown Station E.S.
Capital Area Food Bank
Casey Health Institute
Cedar Lane Unitarian Universalist
Church
Century Distributors
Christ Episcopal Church
Christ the Servant Lutheran Church
Church of The Redeemer
Clarksburg Farmers' Market
Colesville Presbyterian Church
Congregation Or Chadash
Dawson's Market
DC Metronomes (Hallmark Club)
Department of Health and Human
Services
Emmanuel Lutheran Church
Experient
Faith United Methodist Church
First Baptist Church of Rockville
First Fruits Farm
Gaithersburg Germantown
Chamber of Commerce
GE Capital/Healthcare Financial
Services
Giant Food
Glenstone Foundation
growingSOUL
Harris Teeter
In Christ Washington Congregation
Jeff Miller Consulting Alliance
Jordan Pence Memorial Fund
Journey's Crossing Congregation
Kaiser Permanente of the
Mid-Atlantic States
King Farm Community Garden
Larry E. Paul Certified Financial
Planner
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Leisure World
MCPS Nutrition Services
Mid-Atlantic Federal Credit Union
Midwest Research Institute
Montgomery Child Care Assoc.
Montgomery Master Gardeners
Morgan Stanley
National Council of Jewish Women
National Fire Protection
National Smart Set Washington
DC Chapter
Norman's Farm Markets
Norwood School
Olney Farmers & Artists' Market
One Acre Farm
One Star Enterprise Inc.
Or Haolam Ministries, Inc.
Pilgrim United Church of Christ
Quinter Design
Red Wiggler Farm
Response Tech
Rockville Farmers' Market
Roots
Safeway
Saint Mark Presbyterian Church
Salem United Methodist Church
SAMHSA
Seven Locks Baptist Church
Shrine of St. Jude
Silver Spring Presbyterian Church
Sodexo
Ss. Peter and Paul Antiochian Orthodox Christian Church
SSSBC Inc.
St. James Episcopal Church
St. Mary's Church
Sugarloaf Mountain Works, Inc.
Temple Beth Ami
Temple Emanuel
Trader Joe's
True Buddha Temple Maryland
Unitarian Universalist Church of
Rockville
Village of Martin's Additions
Watkins Pond Community Garden
Wegmans
Whole Foods Market
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Your donation makes a significant difference right here in Montgomery County. Manna is one of the most efficient nonprofit organizations in our community, $0.94 cents of every dollar goes directly to feeding families in need.
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Shop Amazon for Manna
Manna Food Center is registered with Amazon Smile. Click below to designate Manna as your charitable organization of choice. The AmazonSmile Foundation will donate 0.5% of the purchase price from your eligible AmazonSmile purchases. Thank you for your continued support!
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Manna Minute Blog
Recipes, tips for healthy living, and stories of giving
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Voice of America Video Spotlight on Manna's Grocery Store Tour for Clients
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The Karen Goldberg Smart Sacks Program
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Thank you to MCPS Student, Meg Stafford, for making this great video
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How Manna Fights Hunger
We provide food for more than 3,760 families each month at a dozen food distribution sites throughout Montgomery County.
Smart Sacks
We match businesses & organizations with elementary schools, and together we provide healthy foods to
more than 2,300 children every Friday.
We provide food county-wide to partners such as emergency shelters, group homes, food pantries, and soup kitchens at no charge.
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If you're interested in donating food, making a financial contribution, or volunteering please contact us at:
Manna Food Center
9311 Gaither Road
Gaithersburg, MD 20877
301.424.1130
Please support Manna through your workplace giving campaign.
United Way # 8846
CFC # 23028
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2015 Farmers Markets season has begun!
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Support Manna Food Center while at your local farmers market. You can drop off fresh produce or cash donations at Manna's market table. We use donations to purchase unsold produce at the end of the day.
You can make donations at the following markets.
Bethesda Central Farm Market
7600 Arlington Rd, Bethesda
Sundays, 9am - 1:30pm
Clarksburg Farmers Market
23315 Frederick Road, Clarksburg
Sundays, 10am - 1pm
Olney Farmers and Artists Market
2801 Olney-Sandy Spring Road, Olney
Sundays, 9am - 1pm
Pike Central Farmers Market
5992 Executive Blvd.,
Rockville
Saturdays, 9am - 1:30pm
Rockville Town Center Farmers Market
Corner of Rt 28 and Monroe, Rockville
Saturday, 9am - 1pm
Thank you for your support!
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Manna Food Center has been selected by
The Catalogue for Philanthropy: Greater Washington as "one of the best small charities in the Washington DC Region"
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Manna Food Center has received the GuideStar Seal for Transparency.
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For the sixth year in a row, Manna Food Center has received a four-star rating from Charity Navigator.Read Manna's evaluation here.From their website: "Charity Navigator works to guide intelligent giving. ... we aim to help charities by shining lights on truly effective organizations...we believe we can help ensure that charitable giving keeps pace with the growing need for charitable programs."
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