Dear Supporter,

As we welcomed Spring’s first flowers this month, Manna also commemorated the one-year anniversary of COVID-19 in our county, visiting with partners to thank them for their efforts to fight hunger during this challenging time. I am humbled by the community response and spirit of collaboration among faith groups, county leaders, and fellow nonprofits, and I know the partnerships we’ve forged will strengthen our ability to serve for months and years ahead.

I am so proud of our amazing team of humanitarians who’ve continued to stay safe and keep serving during this difficult year. In this newsletter, you can read about how Manna’s dedication to caring for those who care was recognized by Leadership Montgomery, which honored Manna with its Well Workplace Award. The tremendous support we’ve received from people like you has made it possible for Manna to take care of our team, and I am deeply grateful. Speaking of awards, I hope you’ll join us on April 22nd for our Heroes Against Hunger virtual award show when we honor three awardees who have long stood out for their contributions to fighting hunger in our community. 

As the economic fallout from the pandemic continues, Manna is working with our peers, participants, and donors to find more and better ways to serve our community. And our volunteer Advocacy Task Force is busy speaking out to representatives in Congress, the State House, and County for policies and programs to better support our neighbors experiencing food insecurity. I hope you’ll enjoy reading about this and everything your support is making possible!

Masks up!
Jackie DeCarlo
CEO, Manna Food Center
P.S. If you’d like to hear more about how our team has responded to the pandemic, please click here to listen to a conversation I had with local business leader Carrie Fox on her podcast, Mission Forward.
We are pleased to invite you to join us at this year’s virtual Heroes Against Hunger Award Ceremony on April 22nd, 2021 at 7 PM! The show will be livestreamed on Manna’s YouTube channel, and is free to watch. RSVP here to receive updates closer to the event date, and information on how you can participate in the livestream. If you would like to sponsor this year’s production, please click here for more information.
Advocacy Task Force in Action
Our volunteer Advocacy Task Force members were out in full force this month! Odessa Davis testified before the Maryland Senate Education, Health and Environmental Affairs Committee in support of the Hunger-Free Campus Grant Program (SB767). The legislation would provide critical resources to help Maryland’s public colleges and universities reduce campus hunger, which impacts nearly half of community college students and 41% of four-year university students.* Odessa shared compelling testimony about herself and fellow students who know first-hand how hard it is to concentrate on learning while experiencing food insecurity.

*College and University Basic Needs Insecurity: A National RealCollege Survey Report, April 2019
 
Our Advocacy Task Force chair, Lorna Forde, and member, Joan McGlockton, joined our CEO Jackie DeCarlo and other Maryland anti-hunger advocates at the National Anti-Hunger Policy Conference and Lobby Day, where they educated our Maryland congressional delegation about the importance of continuing to support legislation that strengthens SNAP and childhood nutrition programs.

Manna Honored with Well Workplace Award!

Manna’s director of administration, Sil Zimmerman, recently accepted the 2021 Workplace Wellness award given to Manna at Leadership Montgomery's Corporate Volunteer Awards Luncheon. We couldn’t be more proud to be the first non-profit organization to receive this honor. At Manna, we embrace the motto, “We care for those who care,” and we couldn’t do that without our incredible community of supporters like you!