August 2019
E-Newsletter
Friend of Manna Food Center

I’m having a bit of writer’s block: There is SOOO much happening in the world of Manna that it is hard to know what to share. Perhaps I should just offer up a “day in the life” to give you a taste of how we are fighting hunger and feeding hope this season.

A Day in the Life of Manna
One Tuesday this month I started the day at the community kitchen of Silver Spring Methodist Church, where we hosted WAMU radio, alongside partners KindWorks and MCCH, to share how the Community Food Rescue program helps feed neighbors and reduce the environmental impact of food waste . Then I went to Montgomery Village, where Rep. David Trone was a making a stop on his summer food tour. By gathering representatives from MCPS, the Department of Recreation, and the not-for-profit community, Manna helped the Congressman understand strategies for increasing access to healthy meals in the critical summer months .
U.S Rep. David Trone and Odessa
Jackie helps a warehouse volunteer cool down.
Back at the warehouse, Manna’s logistics team was settling in to our temporary warehouse at 8341 Beechcraft Ave in Gaithersburg (where food donations are accepted until our warehouse is renovated). Operating with less space and without any shelving or air-condition, our amazing team has exceeded my expectations of dedication and flexibility. Alongside stalwart volunteers, this particular Tuesday our staff got Manny on the road for a class at a Montgomery Housing Partnership location and conducted our food distribution satellite at Clifton Park Baptist Church.

Meanwhile, the office staff was in the final countdown of “purging and packing” as we relocated our headquarters to 12301 OLD Columbia Pike in Silver Spring. We are 50% of the way to opening a center featuring a marketplace to choose free food, alongside collaboration and classroom space.  Save the date for an Open House: October 19!
Clearly it has been an unusual and exciting summer for all of us dedicated to eliminating hunger. We could not make the progress we are, without supporters like you: donating food and funds, volunteering your time, even dropping off baked goods to nourish my teammates with surprise treats! This summer has been a group effort, and I am humbled by the response each and every day.
Sincerely,
'Humans for Humans' - Manna's Community Food Rescue Program Featured on WAMU
Kayla Holt (left) and Marcia Dotson chop zucchini and onions. The two volunteers are helping turn ‘ugly’ produce into cooked meals for people who can’t cook for themselves. (Photo credit: Esther Ciammachilli / WAMU)

Did you recently hear about Manna's food rescue program on the radio? WAMU spent the afternoon with CFR Cooks and guest Chef Ozmur "Ozzy" Basak.

Since last year, Community Food Rescue has hosted cooking sessions with volunteers provided through KindWorks to prepare delicious meals from rescued produce and donated meat and shelf-stable items. The meals go to social service agencies in the county like Montgomery County Coalition for the Homeless and Shepherd's Table.

Partner Spotlight on
County Farms and Farmers Market Vendors
From L to R: Joshua Carin, Director of Hospitality MCG; Jenna Umbriac, Director of Programs, Manna; Mitch Berliner and Debra Moser, Central Farm Markets. 

Last Month Manna participated in Montgomery County's Farm Tour, a celebration of our vibrant agricultural resources. We are proud to partner with farms and farmers markets that play a critical role in ending hunger by providing fresh produce for participants. Here are some highlights from the Farm Tour and our work with farmers markets.


Manny the Mobile Kitchen and Pop-Up Pantry vehicle was invited to participate in the Montgomery County Farm Tour this year. Our driver, Maka Graham, and coordinator, Jaimie Mulligan, had a wonderful time introducing participants, donors, volunteers, and community members to our two programs that feature the vehicle. For those that do not know, “Manny” is a retro-fitted school bus with a full commercial kitchen onboard. Manna uses this kitchen to go to schools on a monthly basis to teach elementary school students grades 3 rd through 6 th basic nutrition principles through cooking and tasting. In addition to the classes for children, we also use the bus to host Pop-Up Pantries in different underserved areas of our County. We fill the vehicle with racks full of fresh produce, and go to places in Montgomery County that benefit from this type of outreach. We also use these opportunities to connect new people to Manna’s mission and services.

Nearly every Monday in August you can expect to see Manna’s walk-in refrigerator bursting at the seams with summer fruits. Zucchini, eggplant, tomatoes, peppers, and peaches are stacked in crates that reach to the ceiling. And, yes, those are all fruits, botanically speaking. One by one each pallet of the season’s bounty is brought out to Manna volunteers who enthusiastically fill boxes and racks destined for a Manna distribution site. During the peak of the growing season, families can expect to receive approximately 20 pounds of fresh, regionally produced fruits and vegetables.
More Than A Move Update
Temporary Warehouse at
8341 Beechcraft Ave.
Temporary Warehouse

Our warehouse located at 9311 Gaither Road, Gaithersburg, MD 20877 is temporarily closed for renovation.

All food donations and pickups are at 8341 Beechcraft Ave. Gaithersburg, MD 20879 until late-September

Warehouse Hours:
The warehouse is open 9am - 3pm. Caseworkers should arrange to pick up food between 12pm and 2:45pm.
Photo Illustration of marketplace
One Weekend, Two Celebrations!

Saturday, October 19
Celebrate the grand opening for our new marketplace at 12301 Old Columbia Pike. Join elected officials and community leaders to tour the market and enjoy food and entertainment.

Sunday, October 20
Come see our newly renovated warehouse at 9311 Gaither Rd. Enjoy light refreshments and a tour of our upgraded facilities.

Turning Surplus Food Into Healthy Meals
Food recovery helps not only those who are food insecure, but also our planet. By not wasting food on the farm, we also are eliminating the waste of water and energy used to grow that food. By reducing the amount of food waste entering our landfill, currently 147,000 tons per year in Montgomery County, we save on greenhouse gas emissions.

The net greenhouse gas emissions benefit from CFR’s food recovery thus far is 5,391 metric tons of carbon dioxide, equivalent to 1,154 vehicles removed from the road for a year, or 13.2 million miles not driven by one passenger vehicle. 
CFR Program Director, Cheryl Kollins with meals prepared by CFR Cooks.
4 Tips for Reducing Food Waste:

  1. Shop smart and realistically - It sounds simple, but this is one of the most important things you can do. When you go food shopping, make sure you don't buy too much food. This may mean going to the grocery store more often, and buying less food each time. If you live far away from the store or you hate shopping, you should be thoughtful and careful about what you purchase. You should also try to purchase locally sourced produce and other food from places like your local farmer's market.
  2. Save (and actually eat) leftovers - In the same vein, make sure you save uneaten food when you either cook too much or you get too much food at a restaurant. Label your leftovers so you can keep track of how long they've been in your fridge or freezer, and incorporate them into your daily or weekly routine.
  3. Donate to food banks and farms - Before you throw away excess food, look into food banks and charities where you can bring items you know you're not going to consume before they go bad, and give them to people in need. You can find local food banks through Feeding America and WhyHunger. If you live in the Maryland area consider donating food to Manna Food Center. You can also donate scraps and other types of food to farms and companies to feed livestock.
  4. Try Composting - Rather than discarding scraps, you can compost certain foods and turn it into nutrient-rich fertilizer. But composting shouldn't be top-of-mind when first getting started on reducing food waste. The EPA has a food recovery hierarchy on how we use our food, stating first that we should reduce the waste we create, then donate food, try to feed livestock, use waste for industrial energy and then compost.

Source: Mashable " 11 practical ways you can reduce food waste and save money" by Matt Petronzio

Wrinkled Grape and Lemon Peel Breakfast Cake
Source: Cookbook Amazing Waste     
Time : 45 minutes   

Ingredients:

  • 1 ½ cups of wrinkled, mushy grapes
  • Peel (grated into zest) of 1 lemon
  • 2 large eggs
  • ¼ cup milk
  • ½ cup plus 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • ½ cup plus 1 tablespoon sugar
  • 1 ½ cups self-rising flour
  • 2 tbsp walnuts/pecans (optional)


Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Wash the grapes, dry well and set aside. In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, 1/2 cup olive oil, vanilla, lemon peel zest, and 1/2 cup of the sugar. Blend thoroughly, then stir in the flour and mix well until smooth. Grease a 9-inch tart/pie pan with 1 tablespoon of olive oil and pour in the batter. Place the grapes evenly (about 1/4-inch apart) on top of the batter to cover the entire surface. Press the grapes halfway into the batter. Scatter nuts (optional) evenly on top and sprinkle with the remaining tablespoon of sugar. Bake 45 minutes until golden brown and firm.
Ripken Collegiate Baseball Players Collect 7,675 Pounds of Food for Manna Food Center
On Saturday July 13, scores of college baseball players who have come from across the country to play summer baseball in Montgomery County collected 7,675 pounds of food at twelve Giant Food stores across Montgomery County for the Manna Food Center. The Gaithersburg Giants repeated as champions capturing the Tenth Annual Cal Ripken Collegiate Baseball League's Feed the Hungry Challenge by collecting 2,926 pounds of food. Players from the Bethesda Big Train and Silver Spring-Takoma Thunderbolts also collected food on Saturday. Bethesda and Silver Spring both set individual team records for the most food collected in the decade of the annual challenge. In the ten years of the competition, the college players have collected 60,846 pounds of food — more than 30 tons of food -- for Montgomery County's neighbors in need. Thanks to the Manna Food Center, Giant Food, and Text Design for supporting this community service program of the Cal Ripken Collegiate Baseball League. 

Jackie DeCarlo, Manna Food Center CEO, said "Once again the Cal Ripken League teams came together for the local community in an impressive effort. The Manna team thanks all who made the collection of nearly four tons of food possible. The decade long effort by the Ripken League has provided 30 tons of food for the people we serve. It is especially valuable to get this food now to restock our shelves for the summer.” Ripken League Co-Founder Bruce Adams, who initiated the Feed the Hungry Challenge in 2010, said: “Seeing these college ballplayers who have come here from all across the country pitch in to serve our Montgomery County neighbors in need reminds us of the good there is in the world when we all work together.” 

2019 Food Drive Results
Gaithersburg 2,926 pounds
Bethesda 2,716 
Silver Spring-Takoma 2,033
TOTAL 7,675 pounds = 3.8 tons
Gaithersburg Giant players collecting food.
Bethesda Big Train players collecting food.
Lisa and Matt accept trophy on behalf of Gaithersburg Giants for collecting the most food.
Breaking Bread Restarts on October 16!
Breaking Bread is on hiatus as Manna gets settled into its new administrative offices. We will resume our monthly Continuing the Conversation meetings on October 16, 2019 at 4pm with new faces and voices. Mark your calendar now to join us in our ongoing conversation about new solutions to ending the experience of food insecurity in Montgomery County.  
Available Volunteer Opportunities 
NOTE: Due to the nature of our operations and upcoming renovations, we have a limited number of volunteer spaces available for the next few months.

Food Distribution
Please note : As of July 8 warehouse operations have moved to a temporary location while the warehouse is under renovation.


Bi-lingual Spanish, French, Amharic and Haitian skills are a plus. 

Office volunteers (18 years of age or older) support our referral program which enables clients to receive food from us. Volunteers receive referral information by phone, fax, and email and input it into our participant database. This allow us to determine how many boxes need to be prepared each day and create a sign-in/out sheet for client pick-up.
Satellite Distribution Centers
Volunteers needed to help distribute prepacked boxes, assist clients to their car, and take in food donations. 

Tuesdays and Thursdays 3pm-7pm
Gaithersburg Middle School

Wednesdays 3pm-7pm
Clifton Park Baptist Church (formerly Long Branch Satellite)

Fridays 1pm-4pm
East County Regional Service Center 
 
Must be 16 years of age of older.   This opportunity is approved for SSL hours.  Click for more information.
Food Runners
Join Community Food Rescue (CFR), Montgomery County's network for food recovery. Help deliver rescued food to area shelters.
 
Learn how you can help feed more and waste less at  communityfoodrescue.org .
Nutrition Volunteers
Manna's free nutrition programming makes crucial health information more accessible to communities in need. You can help fight hunger and learn new skills as a nutrition education volunteer!

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 June 16, 2019 - July 15, 2019.

Without your incredible generosity, we would not be able to feed families in our community. 
Abada-Capoeira DC
Adat Shalom Congregation
APA Inc.
Bethesda Central Farmers' Market
Bethesda Co-Op
Boschee Family Foundation, a fund of Hamilton County Community Foundation
Box Associates Limited Partnership
Capital Area Food Bank
Central Farm Markets at Westfield Montgomery Mall
Charles Schwab Foundation
Chinmaya Mission Washington Regional Center
Christ the Servant Lutheran Church
Cigna Health and Life Insurance Company
City of Gaithersburg
City of Rockville
Clinton AME Zion Church
Colesville Presbyterian Church
DC Metro Sai Samsthan
Emmanuel Lutheran Church
Faith United Methodist Church
First Fruits Farm
Gaithersburg Chapter #5358 of AARP
Giant Food
Harris Teeter
Healthcare Initiative Foundation
Holy Cross Hospital Hemodialysis Department
Imperfect Produce
Jewish War Veterans Ladies Auxiliary
JLM HR Consulting
Larry E. Paul Certified Financial Planner
Leisure World
Long & Foster Real Estate
Medstar Montgomery Medical Center
Mid-Atlantic Federal Credit Union
Montgomery Blair High School
Montgomery County
Montgomery County Master Gardeners
Norman's Farm Markets
Olney Farmers & Artists' Market
Otsuka America Pharmaceutical, Inc.
Primary Care Coalition Of Montgomery County, MD, Inc.
Response Tech
Robert Schattner Foundation
Rockville Farmers' Market
Roots
Safeway
Saint Mark Presbyterian Church
SEBA Gardens
Seven Locks Baptist Church
Silver Spring Presbyterian Church
Sodexo Stop Hunger Foundation, Inc
State of Maryland
TD Charitable Foundation
Temple Shalom
Trader Joe's
Twinbrook Elementary School
Unitarian Universalist Church of Rockville
Vantage Point East, Leisure World
Village of Martin's Additions
Wegmans
Whole Foods Market
Woodley Garden Club
World Bank Group
YMCA Summer of Service

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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Manna Food Center | 2019