FRESH NEWS January 2020

Dear MANNA Community,

The last weeks and months have been revealing—showing who we are and who we aren’t yet. There have been too many heartbreaking moments.

We’ve been given little choice about seeing the harsh realities of our country’s current state even when so many of us are working together to make things better. We are often witness to both simultaneously. When our neighbors are in line desperate to find food, we see the ugliness of avoidable suffering. There is so much more work to be done, hard work, but through all of this I have found that living with purpose right now is such a gift. 

This time has shined a glaring spotlight on the grip that hunger has had on our country for years, and with this spotlight has come a wider understanding of its root causes and consequences. At MANNA, we have seen a 68% increase in people needing food since before the pandemic and have been feeding over 100,000 people a month with the help of our partners and people like you. At the same time, we are facing the daunting reality of needing to move to a sustainable and larger facility to meet the long term needs of our region.

The good news is that there are tangible ways to feed people desperate for food today and prevent hunger tomorrow if we work together, and you give me every hope that this is possible. Although 2021 has certainly not been a dream come true so far, we will see our way through this. Thank you to each and every one of you who found your own way to make our community a more resilient, loving, and humane place to live in 2020. As we look forward, let’s use what we learned in this transformative year to make sure that we forge a better future for everyone in our mountains and beyond.

CEO of MANNA FoodBank

Following a year like no other, we wanted to take a moment to recognize the amazing impact that our volunteer drivers has had across our 16 county service area.

In 2020, our dedicated and passionate members of the MANNA Volunteer Driver Team have…

• Worked in pairs to complete 385 MANNA Express trips, where over 1,204,880 lbs. of food was distributed to across WNC.

• Assisted MANNA staff on 134 MANNA Community Market food distributions that have helped over 55,000 individuals who faced food insecurity this year.

• Completed over 45 fresh milk deliveries to partner agencies in 4 different counties on a weekly basis.

• Travelled over 5,472 miles (roundtrip) to Sylva, NC on a weekly basis to pick up fresh bread for our partner network. 48 total trips of this nature were completed this year.

• Interfaced with partner agencies and food recipients with genuine respect and dignity.

Since the beginning of March, MANNA has been working at record levels to provide food to more families than ever in our history.

Thanks to vital support from our community, we have provided food for an average of 104,000 people each month. This is an increase of over 68% compared to our pre-pandemic numbers.

Our Helpline has received calls from over 6,300 households seeking food assistance, and our monthly MANNA Community Markets are serving well above 5,000 people per month. We have also distributed 19.9 million pounds of food since March, a 36% increase of the total pounds of food distributed over the same time period last year.

For the past fifty years, Haywood Christian Ministry has been a part of Haywood County, evolving with the community to serve in many capacities and aiding vulnerable citizens to meet the challenges of everyday living. We offer a thrift store, clothing assistance, utility and rent assistance, and food assistance through partnerships with MANNA, local churches, and countless private donors to help with needs in the county.

When COVID-19 suddenly spread its vicious wrath on so many folks, we faced unprecedented challenges of having to close the thrift shop and all current services with the exception of food assistance, which became a drive-thru operation.

During the initial few weeks of this challenge, a heavily reduced volunteer group tirelessly prepared up to 1,000 boxes of food per week to help thousands of our county citizens navigate a life without income from jobs lost and children at home when schools closed.

We recognize now is a time that many people are struggling to make ends meet. Please go ahead and review the following resources, while also sharing them with your networks.

Buncombe County Rent, Utilities & Mortgage Assistance. On Jan. 5, the Buncombe County Board of Commissioners unanimously approved accepting $900,000 of federal funding. This money will be used exclusively to help with financial hardships stemming directly from economic impacts of COVID-19. To learn more, Buncombe County encourages possible applicants to check their website for more information.

FNS Enrollment. The MANNA Food Helpline is here to help people register for FNS benefits. These benefits are one of the most effective ways to combat hunger and food insecurity. If you're experiencing food insecurity, or know someone who may be, call 1-800-820-1109 to apply for FNS benefits. If you prefer, you can also contact the MANNA Food Helpline via email.

In the interest of everyone’s health & well-being, we wanted to help best provide an answer to the question that everyone has asked themselves, "when can I get the COVID vaccine?" The answer is not straight forward and varies county by county. That's why we've put the links to all 16 of our counties' websites that are provided updated information on vaccine eligibility. Click your county to learn whether or not you're eligible for the vaccine!