This is your source for volunteer news, program updates, opportunities, and events. Best of all, it's where we can highlight YOU, and the amazing work Manna volunteers accomplish! |
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After a year-long suspension, Manna Food Project is resuming its Food Rescue program. This decision comes after diligently tracking community transmission of the virus, measuring our inventory capacity, and seeing more volunteers and staff members vaccinated.
“Pausing Food Rescue last March was the right thing to do,” says Kim Baker, Executive Director. “Although it’s difficult to turn away food donations, we had to take every precaution to protect our staff, volunteers, partners, and food pantry clients.”
The purpose of Manna’s Food Rescue program is to collect donated and surplus food each week from local grocery stores and businesses. These items range from soon-to-expire canned goods, discontinued and overstocked items, day-old breads and baked goods, prepared food from restaurants, and produce naturally being rotated off the shelves, all of which would otherwise go to waste. By diverting this food from the landfill, Manna not only fills hungry bellies but also reduces food waste in the community—about 500,000 pounds each year, accounting for approximately 25 percent of the food we distribute.
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The other 75 percent of the food is acquired through our associations with Feeding America and the US Department of Agriculture along with purchasing from local suppliers. As a Partner Food Bank of Feeding America West Michigan, Manna regularly receives shipments of free and low-cost food from a distribution center near Grand Rapids. We also purchase some items from retailers like Meijer, Burnette Foods, and Sysco.
Once the influx of donated foods came to a halt, Manna was forced to increase these kinds of purchases. As a result, we doubled our spending in April 2020 compared to April 2019.
“We were lucky to have such generous community support at the time we needed it most,” Baker says.
Our staff came together and re-evaluated the Food Rescue situation many times throughout 2020, but the nature of the virus and its spread throughout the community was too difficult to predict. We also have a big responsibility to Northwest Michigan as a food bank.
“The bottom line is this: if we had to close down our operations to quarantine, there goes food assistance for three counties. Potentially thousands of people in our region would be without a source of emergency food. That was a risk we couldn’t take. But now that vaccines have been distributed to many of our staff and volunteers, we feel comfortable to resume."
Adapted from our press release
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Want to donate food, or organize a food drive?
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Happy 6th Work Anniversary, Amanda! |
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After becoming part of the Manna team in 2015, Amanda has done it all: accounting, payroll, stocking shelves, packing backpacks, Project Connect, CROP Walk, Empty Bowls, shopping for food pantry clients, year-end inventory, managing the backpack program, and (perhaps most challenging) the golf outing!
Though most of the time you will find her working behind-the-scenes, she's an essential team member who continues to lay the foundation for our success. Thank you so much for your years of hard work and continued dedication to Manna—you are appreciated!
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With the rise of COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations throughout the state, Manna Food Project would like to encourage everyone to keep being vigilant. On our end, all protective precautions—including wearing face masks, social distancing, reduced volunteer numbers, sanitizing, and more—will still be adhered to at Manna for the foreseeable future. For our volunteers, if you are not feeling well or you're unsure about coming in, don't hesitate to stay home. Everyone's safety is our top priority.
We are so grateful that many of our staff and volunteers have received their vaccinations, but we are not out of the woods yet. Thank you for your continued patience as we work through this together!
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Manna Online Trainings Are Available! |
Since many of us still find ourselves with extra time on our hands, you can use it to complete some short trainings online. These trainings covering Food Safety and Civil Rights are from Feeding America and are highly recommended for all food bank or food pantry volunteers/staff.
Manna strives to provide volunteers with meaningful opportunities to engage in our mission, matching volunteer interests and abilities to our needs. To that end, we periodically require volunteers to complete training sessions on topics related to our food assistance programs.
By keeping everyone properly trained:
- Our volunteers feel knowledgeable, comfortable, and confident in their roles.
- We maintain a safe and positive environment for everyone.
- We ensure the food we distribute is safe to eat.
- We fulfill our mission in the most effective and efficient way possible.
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Thank you to every single one of our volunteers! We so appreciate every minute you spend with us, whether that's packing backpacks, driving to stores for Food Rescue, registering and assisting food pantry clients, or helping with random tasks around the warehouse.
We hope you continue to enjoy your experience with us as we help feed the hungry in Northern Michigan!
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Volunteer Spotlight
Denise & Randy Evans
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Denise and Randy Evans have called Northern Michigan their home since shortly after their marriage in 2004. Knowing Denise would be retiring from Pfizer, in Kalamazoo, in 2005 they purchased a small cottage on Lake Charlevoix, originally planning to spend summers there and winters in Randy’s suburban Houston home. That lasted only two winters because they were always wishing they were back in Michigan. The house in Texas sold in just three days and the planning began to build a new home in Bay Harbor.
Finding ways to keep busy has been easy. Randy enjoys writing and has published several books. He’s also active with the Sunrise Rotary Club in Petoskey and is a choir member at Emmanuel Episcopal. An avid pickleball player he also enjoys golf and fishing. Together they enjoy bird hunting and boating. Denise has been involved with the Petoskey Area Antiques Club, Hospice of Little Traverse Bay and is active in several book clubs.
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The one volunteer activity they enjoy together is at Manna. Denise began volunteering in 2012 when she joined the Board. When she needed a helper for food rescue, she recruited Randy to assist. They have also been instrumental in getting some Bay Harbor neighbors to volunteer and have a standing group that meets bi-monthly at Manna to pack food boxes and backpacks. Denise recently completed her term on the Board, having served as President from 2019-2021. Her only regret is not serving on the Board long enough to help select the options for a new vehicle to replace the old panel van. She really wants heated seats. Are you listening, Larry DeWitt?
Between them they have five daughters and eight grandchildren and one very spoiled English Setter, Lizzie.
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Thank you so much for your many years of service! Manna would be a different place without you!
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Nominate someone for our monthly Volunteer Spotlight by emailing our staff at volunteer@mannafoodproject.org! |
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