Building for Our Success

Notes from the CEO – Jackie DeCarlo

Cynthia, Manna’s Community Food Education Manager, shared at a recent staff meeting how everyone needs a balanced diet of fruits, vegetables, grains, fats, and proteins to live a healthy life. Similar to the building blocks of health, Manna’s donors, supporters, and volunteers are essential to creating a foundation upon which Manna’s mission is possible. With your time, talent, and treasure, we touched the lives of 31,710 neighbors in need last year. To continue our progress, we’ve included volunteers, board members, and community members in our planning process to reach 10,000 more people in the years ahead.

Earlier this month I hosted “Q&A” sessions for volunteers to discuss our progress and short and long-term plans. It was inspiring to hear questions, suggestions, and concerns from those of you who give your time regularly to Manna.  I’m honored by the commitment to Manna that supporters like you have

I’m thrilled to report that construction on our new office space and marketplace in East County began last month. This space will offer a range of foods in our choice market and space for collaboration and learning. At the end of April, we opened a distribution site at Gaithersburg Middle School to support families. In early July our warehouse will close for renovations, and we’ll relocate our food operations for two months. By the end of July, we’ll also have the East County center open at 12301 Old Columbia Pike. You can check out a list of important milestones here. Clearly, summer will be anything but dull, but I assure you we have every intention to continue our services without interruption.

We know that the people of Montgomery County have a deep desire to be of service, and we are committed to offering you a chance to help end hunger. In fact, the Manna Board and staff are dedicated to making this “More than a Move.”  There are still many details around our move to be determined.  Rest assured, we will continue to offer enriching volunteer opportunities around the County.

We are committed to updating our facilities and evolving our services to reach more neighbors in need. Thank you in advance for your flexibility and support. As always, feel free to drop me a line at jackie@mannafood.org.

Gratefully,

Jackie