Notes From Our CEO

Dear Manna supporter,

I imagine you, also, are thinking about the perfect gifts, no matter what your family or faith traditions. Parents are making lists & checking them twice. Congregations are preparing special packages to deliver to neighbors in need. Businesses are collecting toys to share at local schools. Through all these activities, we are all giving AND we are receiving.Manna staff recently pulled names for a Secret Santa Gift Exchange and, being a creative crew, you could see the wheels in people’s heads start turning.

Here at Manna we give food on a daily basis, made possible through your donations and we receive warm smiles & thankful comments in return. A teacher at our Smart Sacks school remarked, “Thanks to this program, families are able to feed their children when seasonal jobs like landscaping are scarce.” Throughout the year we share food with our neighbors because we know that all people deserve to be well-fed, all our seniors deserve to be cared for, and all our children need to be ready to achieve. In return, our neighborhoods are filled with people better able to create a community where we all live in dignity.

As you consider your year-end charitable contributions, I thank you for what you have made possible so far this year and I ask for your generosity as Manna prepares for the year ahead. Here in your local community, Manna will work to ensure that all food insecure neighbors have access to the food they need to live healthy, active lives. With your end-of-year gift, you can bolster our programs and projects. Be sure to check your mailbox for a special edition of “Manna Matters” newsletter featuring all the ways you can support this vital work.

In exchange, you’ll receive a sincere thank you, noting the tax benefits of your gift. I suspect, though, as a faithful community supporter, you will most enjoy the satisfaction of knowing that you are a part of Manna Food Center’s mission. Just as the Manna team is taking a pause to enjoy the simple act of giving and receiving, savor the importance of your gift. Together we can end the year with a spirit of generosity and a sense of possibility.

Best wishes of the season to you,

Jackie DeCarlo

CEO

jackie@mannafood.org

240.268.2524