Manna on Main Street

Last week our Common Grounds trainees got to see where their food comes from – literally – as we visited Garden of Health Food Bank's Hatfield farm. The farm’s harvest (which we helped plant!) is distributed through their food bank. Under the watchful eye of Farm Manager Lavinia, our trainees and staff got to do some planting, watering, learning and buzzing! We sampled tiny tomatoes off the vine with huge leaves of basil, observed the working beehives, gave the crops some much needed watering, and learned so much about the farm program from Lavinia. We love going with our trainees into the community! Manna’s Common Grounds Training Program is now accepting applications for our 40th cohort, which begins Monday, August 19. Call or text Sue at 215-353-3727 for more information. #CatalystKitchens #WorkforceDevelopment #JobTraining

Manna on Main Street is hiring! See the description and link below for more information. “Manna on Main Street, a nonprofit organization, provides free food services for families and individuals experiencing food insecurity. Manna’s two main food programs are a soup kitchen and food pantry. Clients can access groceries in an onsite market and by online ordering using SmartChoice, an online ordering and inventory system. Manna's Online Market Hub will open in September 2024. This new facility will house the online ordering and distribution operations. The Online Distribution Manager will assist clients with online ordering and oversee the distribution of online orders to clients.” Access the full job posting here: https://lnkd.in/eWjT3X54

On Friday, Manna’s entire staff participated in a training entitled “Trauma at the Intersection of Discrimination and Poverty,” led by our own Nadja Mummery, Director of Education and Inclusion, who developed the training. The training is part of our ongoing work to make Manna more inclusive, equitable and trauma informed in serving our diverse community. The latter part of the day was spent engaged in team bonding activities. Enjoy this picture of the people who are the hands and feet of our vision “that everyone might be fed” every single day, in addition to our amazing volunteers, partners and broader community!

It’s only week three for Cohort 39 of Manna’s Common Grounds Training Program, but it feels like they’ve been here and together forever! We love the comradery of this group and how eager they are to learn. During week one we enjoyed a Meet & Greet & Eat, where Manna leadership and the trainees enjoyed pizza and conversation in a relaxed atmosphere. Once week two started the trainees fully joined Manna’s café and kitchen production teams. They have been serving lattes and operating the point-of-sale system in the café, and helping prepare and cook 700 meals a day in our production kitchen for our contract meals programs. They’ve also learned about Hidden Rules and Time Management with Nadja, Knife Skills and Product Identification with Chef Lou, and passed their ServSafe Food Handler course! Do you know someone who would benefit from Manna’s Common Grounds Training Program? Our next cohort begins August 19, and we’re already taking applications! Call or text Sue at 215-353-3727 for more information or to apply. #JobTraining #WorkforceDevelopment #CatalystKitchens

We were honored to host the North Penn School District Cabinet for a tour and conversation at Manna on Main Street. Over the past two years we have worked diligently to continue to strengthen our partnership to serve North Penn families in need. We are grateful for all of the NPSD teachers, counselors, administrators and staff who serve our local families and broader community so well. Thank you! #EndHunger #NorthPenn #Community

At Manna on Main Street, we believe a shower should be available to everyone. We need to restock several items for individuals who use our shower services as we head into the summer months. If you are interested in contributing, here is a link to what we need (new, in package): https://lnkd.in/euGJEP_E 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!

We deeply appreciate our volunteers at Manna, which includes both individuals and groups. Check out the groups we've hosted in the past several weeks: • Calvary Baptist School, Lansdale • Manheim / Cox Automotive • La Salle College High School • Mater Dei Catholic School • National Charity League - Central Bucks • Merck  • Colorcon • Kenvue If your group is interested in volunteering, click here: https://lnkd.in/e454KMkM Thank you to all of our volunteers for supporting Manna and those we serve together! #EndHunger #Volunteering #Community 

Do you live in the North Penn community and need meals for your children this summer? North Penn School District's Summer Meal Program starts today. See the image for more information. If you need additional meals, groceries, or have other needs, Manna on Main Street is here to help. All of our current program information is available here: https://lnkd.in/eenS3BFR #SummerMeals #NorthPenn #Community

In May, Manna's Kitchen served over 13,000 meals (to-go and sit-down combined) for the first time ever, up from around 5,000 per month on average just two years ago. Meanwhile, visits to Manna's Market are up 20% compared to a year ago, and 5-8% of all Market visits every month are from households that are shopping at Manna for the first time, showing that we continue to reach new people in need. As noted in this WHYY story, demand for food continues to rise across Montgomery County, including at Manna, and summer is a time when donations are generally slower: https://lnkd.in/exd9ABUC Here is a link if you are interested in donating food and other household needs to Manna: https://lnkd.in/gQYXrdz Here is a link if you are interested in donating funds to Manna: https://lnkd.in/errSm4XX Thank you for your support! #EndHunger #MontcoPA #Food

Staring TODAY, Wednesday, June 5 through Wednesday, June 19, Wegmans in North Wales will be running a campaign called “Fill the Bus” to support Manna on Main Street and all those we serve, including children. At the cash register or self check out, you will be able to donate directly to Manna. At this critical moment of increased demand for our services, we are so grateful for this community’s generous, consistent support. Thank you!