Dear Friend of Manna,

Recently I was at the annual Anti-Hunger Conference with some first-time attendees. One person remarked to me that he didn't expect to see so  many women. With more than two decades in the not-for-profit sector, I wasn't at all  su rprised. Even after much societal  progress, the fields of social work, education, and health are traditionally filled with women, for a variety of reasons such cultural stereotypes and expectations. It occurs to me, though, that in the fight against hunger another reason may be  at play- so many women have experienced food insecurity. Although women are only 52% of the po pulation of Montgomery County, at Manna they make up 71% of our participants.  I know that witnessing how my mom struggled to put food on the table
while juggling two jobs, sensitized me to the needs of food insecure families. That doesn't mean men can't be sensitive too, but lived experience matters and shapes our life directions.  

With March being Women's History Month, there have been many awareness building and educational campaigns in the news and on social media. For Manna supporters I wanted to make sure you knew about the incredible women of Manna. Not only is our board of directors currently chaired by a woman, Selena Singleton, but we have nine women shaping Manna's strategic direction, and at least two are former recipients of nutrition assistance programs.  As for our superstar staff, with all due respect to the "Men of Manna," our ladies rock as well. Three out of our four directors are women, and from Smart Sacks to Social Media to SNAP outreach, women play a critical role in our mission. This includes our wonderful volunteers. One woman recently and humbly told me after taking on a special project,  "I just see myself as able to fill a need, and am happy to do so....I find that by and large, the folks at Manna - volunteers and employees - are exceptional people."  I couldn't agree more. I also know that Manna is able to provide exceptional service to tens of thousands of neighbors because of your support  , no matter what your gender.
Join Us To Celebrate 35 Years 

Jackie Receives International Award
Jackie and Shondra in Paris
From Manna's Board Chair, Selena- 

Hello, friends!  At the suggestion of Board alum, Shondra Jenkins, Board Member Wendy Smith nominated Jackie to receive a " Women Stop Hunger" award given annually by Stop Hunger, which mobilizes Sodexo employees in the movement 
to end hunger globally. The application was successful and last week  Jackie flew all the way to Paris to receive the award and a 10,000 Euro check to benefit Manna Food Center.  She joined four other awardees from Brazil, Ethiopia, France, and South Africa.   I know you join me in recognizing Jackie and this wonderful international recognition!  Wendy's application summed up well why this award is so fitting:
"After more than a decade promoting the work of women artisans in countries such as Ghana and  Madagascar, supporting female-led coffee cooperatives in Guatemala and Nicaragua, and mentoring  women creating fair trade campuses across the U.S., Jackie DeCarlo came to Manna Food Center  (Manna) determined to put the principles of grassroots empowerment into practice in her own  neighborhood."  

For 30 years, Manna served as a  traditional social service agency in the suburbs of Washington, DC,  near   the Sodexo USA headquarters. Under Jackie's vision and leade rship,  the agency has  committed to a holistic, systemic approach to unleashing the power of community connections,  through innovative use of technology, justice-minded initiatives aimed at addressing root causes of  hunger, and bold experimentation. With a staff that is 61% female, supported by a strong coalition of  female Board members and volunteers, ambitious new projects are changing the way hunger is  addressed in our community. 

You can be part of Jackie's experience by following @Mannafoodcenter on twitter and/or Facebook.  Click here for more information about the Award and please consider  making a donation through the Sodexo Foundation today!
 
Best,   Selena
Meet our New Board Members
Jorge Espinosa is a Senior Commercial Banker for TD Bank's Maryland/Virginia Region, joining TD Bank in this capacity since April 2010.  In his role, Jorge is responsible for managing the commercial banking needs of a portfolio of not for profits and privately held companies located in Maryland and Virginia with revenue ranging from $5 million to over $100 million.  A seasoned executive, Jorge has 29 years of commercial banking experience.  Prior to his current position, he spent 12 years with SunTrust Bank in the greater Washington area.  While at SunTrust, Jorge was a Commercial Banker managing a portfolio of privately held companies located in Montgomery County.  Before becoming a Commercial Relationship Manager, Jorge spent the first six years of his banking career as a Credit Analyst and a Portfolio Manager for Sovran Bank and later Signet Bank.  Jorge attended the University of Richmond where he holds a bachelor's degree in business from the E. Claiborne Robins School of Business.  Jorge is also a graduate of the Associated Builders and Contractors Metro Washington Chapter's Leadership Class of 2013.  Jorge is a member of the Board of Directors of Manna Food Center, Mary of Nazareth Catholic School, and Old Dominion Land Conservancy.  Jorge was a member of TD Bank Mid South Diversity Council, the Metro Washington Mentoring Group, and the local ambassador for TD Mid South United Way.  Jorge has also volunteered his time for six years at Soccer Association of Maryland as a soccer coach for both a boys and girls team and for Men of St. John's College High School.  Jorge has also been an active volunteer with various Food Bank's in the area, including DC Central Kitchen, Food For Others, and the Maryland Food Bank.  Jorge resides in Germantown, Maryland, with his wife Krista, son Esteban, and daughter Isabella.
 
Holly Wong, Vice President of the Global Health Advocacy Incubator, is a global health policy, strategy, and management executive with over 25 years of experience in both public and private sectors. She joined the Incubator in November 2017 and leads the Obesity Prevention Program and the Resolve Initiative focused on cardiovascular health and preventing epidemics. Most recently, she served as the Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Global Affairs at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services for the Obama Administration. In that leadership role, she had primary responsibility for developing policy and strategy for the agency on global health issues. She led a presidential initiative on global health security, collaborating with over 50 countries and multilateral organizations. She also established the Departmental vision and priorities on international trade and public health, including intellectual property, access to medicines, and tobacco control. Previously she was vice president for public policy at the International AIDS Vaccine Initiative, a public-private product development partnership encompassing both scientific activities and policy and advocacy in the areas of innovation, research and development policy, access to medicines, and health financing. Holly brought to that role significant global health experience in both public and private sectors: she spent six years in the pharmaceutical industry focused on a broad range of policy issues; three years with the Inter-American Development Bank as a health economist, leading teams to design and implement health policy reform programs, and six years with a private consulting firm, conducting technical assistance and research assignments in health financing and health policy reform in Africa, Asia, and Latin America. Holly began her international career teaching economics in Shanghai as China began to open its doors and explore elements of market economies. She has worked in more than 50 countries, and holds a Master's in Public Policy from Harvard University and an undergraduate degree from Stanford.

We are so pleased that Holly and Jorge found Manna's mission so critical that they wanted to be a part of the team.  Please join us in welcoming their ideas, experiences, insights and energies to our Board of Directors.
Manna in the Community

This past month I had the pleasure to present to the class of the Women's Studies class WS101 at Montgomery College Takoma Park/Silver Spring Campus. We discussed the prevalence of food insecurity in Montgomery County and focused on how disparities among women in Montgomery County in turn negatively impacts their health.
Did you know that in six out of seven census regions in Montgomery County, there is a higher percentage of women than men living below the Self-Sufficiency Standard? In West Central Montgomery County, 42.44% of women are living below the Self-Sufficiency Standard. When comparing household types, 54% of households with a female head, no husband, live below the Self-Sufficiency Standard, higher than the 47% of households with a male head, no wife.  In Montgomery County, women consistently earn less than men by 24%-31% even if they have the same educational attainment. Disparities among women in food insecurity and other socioeconomic factors including income plays into the negative cycle of poverty and health. For example, there is consistent evidence for food insecure women having a higher risk of obesity, while not for men. 
  
In additio to  t he presentation, the students also supported Manna in packing Smart Sacks bags for JoAnn Leleck at Broad Acres Elem entary School. WS101 students also wrote Valentine's Day cards and put in little treat bags for students as a surprise. Afterwards, students wrote reflections on the presentation and Smart Sacks packing project. One student, Henry Obioma Ukeje, provided us his very powerful words on poverty and the cycles of hunger. You can access his blog here:  Poverty and the Cycle of Hunger Locally, Nationally, and/or Globally  

Special thanks to the class of WS101 at Montgomery College Takoma Park/Silver Spring, Professor Esther Schwartz-Mckinzie, and Lucy Vitaliti, Coordinator of the Office of Volunteerism and Service Learning, in providing Manna this opportunity to share our knowledge and engage our community to end hunger.

- Karena Kuo, Smart Sacks Program Manager
Available Volunteer Opportunities: 
Food Distribution
Volunteers help, Mon-Fri from 9am-3pm, pack and sort food, bag produce and meat, assist clients to their car, and take in food donations.
 
Must be 17 years of age of older.  This opportunity is approved for SSL hours.
 
distro volunteers 2015
Client Services Representative
Help log referrals by phone, fax, and email in to our database.  Volunteers must be able to commit to a minimum of 6 months. 
English/Spanish bi-lingual skills are required. 
 
Shifts Currently Available:
 
 Day or Evening Floater 
(Shift varies based on need)
 
 2nd Saturday of the Month, 10am-2pm 
(monthly commitment)
Email Katie  for more info
Satellite Distribution Centers
Volunteers help Tuesdays at Glenmont United Methodist Church and Wednesdays at Long Branch Community Center from 3pm-7pm, distributing prepacked boxes, assisting clients to their car, and taking in food donations. 
 
Must be 17 years of age of older.  This opportunity is approved for SSL hours.
 
Food Runner
Join Community Food Rescue (CFR), Montgomery County's network for food recovery. Help deliver rescued food to area shelters.
 
Click here to learn how you can help feed more and waste less.


For more information about these and any other volunteer opportunities visit our  website .
A Heartfelt Thank You to Our  Donors
We extend a warm and sincere THANK YOU to all of the organizations and businesses 
that have donated food and funds between January 16, 2018 - February 15, 2018. 

Without your incredible generosity, we would not be able to feed families in our community. 

Adat Shalom Reconstructionist Congregation
Aspen Hill Christian Church
Bethesda Central Farm Market
Bethesda Co-Op
Box Associates Limited Partnership
Calvary Evangelical Lutheran Church
Capital Area Food Bank
Cedar Lane Unitarian Universalist Church
Charles E. Smith Jewish Day School
Christ the Servant Lutheran Church
Church of The Redeemer
City of Gaithersburg
City of Rockville
Clark Construction Group, LLC
Clinton AME Zion Church
CNSI
Concord St. Andrew's UMC
DC Metro Sai Samsthan
Department of Finance- Montgomery County
Emmanuel Lutheran Church
Faith United Methodist Church
Fidelity Brokerage Services, LLC
First Baptist Church of Rockville
Forest Knolls E.S.
Germantown E.S.
Giant Food
Great American Restaurants
Harris Teeter
Jewish Social Services Agency
Julius West M.S.
JustGive.org
Larry E. Paul Certified Financial Planner
Living Faith Lutheran Church
MacroGenics, Inc.
Macy's/Bloomingdale's
MCPS Nutrition Services
Montgomery County
Montgomery County Thrift Shop Board
National Council of Jewish Women
Neighbors in Need Montgomery Fund of the Greater Washington Community Foundation
Norwood School
Olney Help
Otsuka America Pharmeceutical, Inc.
Pilgrim United Church of Christ
Rachel Carson E.S.
Rainbow Community Development Ctr.
Redland Baptist Church
Response Tech
Roger and Katherine Feinthel Charitable Fund
Roots
Safeway Inc.
Saint Mark Presbyterian Church
Silver Spring Presbyterian Church
Sodexo Foundation
St. Paul's United Methodist Church
State of Maryland
TD Charitable Foundation
Technical Resources International, Inc.
Temple Emanuel
Temple Shalom
Thomas W. Pyle M.S.
Trader Joe's
True Buddha Temple Maryland
Unitarian Universalist Church of Rockville
United Way of Rhode Island
Village of Martin's Additions
Virginia Tech Dietetic Interns
Voortman Cookies
Wegmans
Westat
Whole Foods Market
Woodley Garden Club
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 also list each of the individuals who contribute to Manna; thank you all again for your support!    
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

Remember to support Manna through your workplace giving campaign.
United Way # 8846 - CFC # 23028 

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