Dear Supporter,
The pandemic wreaked such economic havoc that you may be surprised by a US Department of Agriculture (USDA) report* indicating a decrease in food insecurity for families with children. This would be news worth celebrating if it signaled a positive trend. But in fact, the pandemic safety net that many credit with decreasing childhood hunger is unraveling. 

Children are at greater risk once again just as inflation is driving food prices higher and putting meat, milk, and fresh produce even more out of reach for many families. More local schools are now reaching out to partner with Manna Food Center because the need is so great.
As I speak to parents who relied on free meals automatically offered at every Montgomery County Public School (MCPS), they share how hard it is to pull together necessary resources now and the shame of having to ask teachers for help. But one dad, Joseph,** noted, "When your children are hungry, you're not going to feed them your pride."
A COVID child tax credit has also timed out even though the economic impacts of the pandemic are far from over. Many families in our community are still struggling to recover from lost jobs and debt incurred when they couldn’t work. They are turning to us.
We need your help so we can be in more schools, supporting more schoolchildren and their families.
No child should ever go hungry in our community. With your help, we can continue to fill the gaps so children in our schools can focus on learning. We will also advocate for policies that can make a difference, like bringing back the kinds of programs that cut childhood hunger during the pandemic. 
 
Of course, we can’t expand our vital programs without your support –and this Giving Tuesday, your contribution will be amplified by a generous $100,000 match from our friends at Roberts Oxygen.

If you would like to donate, it’s as easy as clicking our secure link below to make your contribution. You can also find out how to donate food or make a stock or QCD gift online at mannafood.org. And, if you are old-school like me, you can send us a check that we will gratefully receive.
 
Thank you for supporting Manna so we can reach more children with tasty, healthy food.
 

With gratitude,
Jackie DeCarlo
CEO, Manna Food Center
* Household Food Security in the United States in 2021, Economic Research Service, US Department of Agriculture (September, 2022)
** Participant name changed for privacy.