Notes from our CEO

This is our September newsletter so it is natural that we are focused on back-to-school topics: another year of the Smart Sacks program providing 2,850 kids with nutritious bags of food each weekend, the arrival of our new retrofitted school bus “Manny” that will reach hungry neighbors with fresh produce and teach kids and parents skills for healthy cooking. There is a lot to be excited about as a new school year begins, and thanks to your support we are able to help students achieve.

But it is also hurricane season. Across the aisles and cubicles of Manna, teammates have been checking with those who have loved ones in Florida and the Caribbean, just as we did in August as attention was fixed on Texas and South Asia.  Recently in a staff meeting we talked about the butterfly effect, the theory that the tiny motion of butterfly wings can have a role to play in major weather events such as tornadoes –we weren’t predicting the weather!  The topic came up as we were discussing the role that Manna Food Center plays in creating a Hunger Free MoCo, noting the ripple effect of our high standards and ambitious goals.

During this season of weather-related disasters, our team is doing what we can to respond to those in need from afar, while we redouble our efforts to be of service to those in our own backyard.  We believe that if we do our best with the projects right in front of us, we are part of broader humanitarian effort.  This is not self-congratulations, it is systems-thinking, being sure to do our part.  You do your part as well by being a supporter of our work.  Thank you for making it possible for us to provide steady service here in Montgomery County, MD in the midst of unsettling events across the globe.

Ending hunger, it’s what we do,     Jackie