Greetings!

I hope this letter finds you well and enjoying some chillier weather. This is the season of giving for Manna Food Center,  which is a perfect time to reflect and share our gratitude and joy with others.

From the whole Manna team, we want to thank you for a successful Giving Tuesday campaign. Because of your support, we exceeded our $25,000 goal, generously matched by the David and Naomi Balto Family. We also want to thank Giant Food for their Lend a Hand Campaign benefitting Manna through November and their Giving Tuesday contribution that jump started our effort.

I want to share with you a thank you letter we recently received from a high school student who volunteered with us.

She said, "volunteering with my school was a great experience. Not only do you provide food for those in need, but your volunteers leave with a sense of purpose and belonging. I remember feeling closer to my community and a responsibility to help those in need. Thank you for all that you do for our community."

It’s humbling and gratifying to read that this young person experienced how Manna impacts the lives of all those we engage with, not just the food insecure. It's another reminder of how important the work is that we do...and there are many ways to end hunger.  With your donations, we strive to support our neighbors fighting hunger, educate the community about nutrition and food waste, and build a stronger food system. Together, we work towards the vision of Food For All.

If you missed our Giving Tuesday match, we have another opportunity through December 24th. Roberts Oxygen will match holiday contributions up to $100,000. See below for other opportunities to engage with us.

Thank you for doing your part to help us move towards #FoodForAll.  The reason Manna exists is so that all people, at all times, can receive good food in welcoming spaces. We believe everyone deserves to be well-fed and that when they are, they'll be better able to contribute to making our community a place where all live in dignity. Together, we can build a stronger and better food system in Montgomery County.
Jackie DeCarlo
CEO, Manna Food Center
2021 Maryland Charity Campaign
We want to invite Maryland State employees and retirees to join the 2021 Maryland Charity Campaign by donating to Manna Food Center.

The pandemic has shown us how much we need each other. This giving season, we strive to do better in supporting the community and helping our neighbors.

To learn about this campaign click here.
Harvest Against Hunger
The annual Yom Kippur Food Drive and Harvest Against Hunger Challenge was once again a huge success.

Thankyou to the congregants at Beth Shalom, Congregation Beth EL, Congregation Har Shalom, Congregation B'nai Israel, Congregation B'nai Tzedek, Temple Shalom, Temple Emanuel, Temple Beth Ami, and Adat Shalom for collecting food and funds to help sustain our shelves through the winter.

We also want to congratulate Adat Shalom Reconstructionist Congregation for winning the coveted Manna Food Center "All Star Community Award" this year. We are honored to present your organization with this award and grateful for your spirit of generosity.
New Board of Directors' Chairperson
We are excited to introduce our new Board of Directors' Chairperson, Deanna Marion-Wilson. Deanna and a new slate of officers were approved during our annual Executive Board Retreat.

Our CEO, Jackie DeCarlo, expressed her enthusiasm and stated, "I look forward to being guided by Deanna this next year, especially given her experience in an industry critical to Manna's mission."
We would also like to thank our immediate past chair Lisa Davis, of Share our Strength, for her leadership. Lisa's work has inspired and motivated us and we are grateful to have her continue her board service as Chair of our three year strategic planning effort that was launched at the Board’s fall meeting.
Rockville Little Theatre
Theatre Lovers:

To celebrate Rockville Little Theatre's 74th Season, proceeds from the new show Bad Seed will benefit Manna Food Center.

Bad Seed tells the story of Christine Penmark who seems to have it all--a loving husband, a beautiful home, and the perfect daughter, Rhoda. But when a child drowns under suspicious circumstances, the whole town starts to speculate about what really happened.

Want to know how it plays out? Watch our friends' performance on their next show, Bad Seed.

Tickets are available now. For a special $2 discount and to share the ticket sales with Manna, use the code FOOD while purchasing your ticket.

For more information, go to this link. We hope to see you there!
Support Manna During the Holiday
Looking for ways to celebrate the holiday season by giving to others? Say no more! You can always give back to the community by donating to Manna Food Center and supporting our cause to fight against hunger.

Don't know how? Here are a few ways to join our team on giving back and helping our community:

Virtual Food Drives
Donate to Manna Food Center through our virtual food drive. "Check out" what you want to donate and we'll handle the process of delivering them to our neighbors.

For more information on Virtual Food Drive, contact us at info@mannafood.org.

Physical Food Collections
Conduct your own food drive for Manna. Check out our list of most needed food and collect food donations. We now have bins at both our Gaithersburg and Silver Spring locations to collect your nonperishable food contributions.

For more information, check out Manna's website here.