Manna on Main Street

At Manna on Main Street, we believe a shower should be available to everyone. We need to restock several items for individuals who use our shower services. If you are interested in contributing, here is a link to what we need (new, in package):

https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/1I6ZXE79325CQ?ref_=abls_nvfly_swy

You can have items delivered directly to Manna, or you can drop them off at Manna’s main facility at 606 E. Main St., Lansdale, PA 19446 from 9am to 5pm Monday through Friday and from 10am to 2pm Saturday and Sunday.

Manna’s shower is available from 9am to 4:15pm Monday through Friday, subject to change. Manna provides shower supplies to all who use the shower.

Thank you!

Tonight’s sit-down community meal will include a side dish using 15 pounds of vegetables harvested from Manna's community garden! The garden, located behind Manna at North Penn Commons, is maintained by staff and volunteers. Our yellow zucchini and basil is flourishing, and our tomato bed is a "coming soon" jungle!

Manna’s Common Grounds Training Program welcomed guest speaker Jen Yocco, People Manager at Kambi, to talk to our trainees about getting – and leaving – a job. From how to fill out all that new-hire paperwork to leaving a job with grace (and a great recommendation), Jen answered every question our trainees asked. Oh, and did we mention Jen is married to our Training and Operations Chef, Lou Yocco? Seems like helping people is a family thing!

Last week our Common Grounds trainees got to see where their food comes from – literally – as we visited Garden of Health Food Bank’s Hatfield farm. The farm’s harvest (which we helped plant!) is distributed through their food bank. Under the watchful eye of Farm Manager Lavinia, our trainees and staff got to do some planting, watering, learning and buzzing! We sampled tiny tomatoes off the vine with huge leaves of basil, observed the working beehives, gave the crops some much needed watering, and learned so much about the farm program from Lavinia. We love going with our trainees into the community!

Manna’s Common Grounds Training Program is now accepting applications for our 40th cohort, which begins Monday, August 19. Call or text Sue at 215-353-3727 for more information.

We are excited and grateful to have been chosen by Jacques Pépin Foundation as one of just eight culinary training programs nationwide awarded with a grant this summer. The grant will help us strengthen and expand Manna's Common Grounds Training Program to reach more people in southeastern Pennsylvania.

Manna On Main Street Receives $10,000 Donation The local nonprofit dedicated to ending hunger won the award for its job readiness and training program.

Do you need Mental Health support? Thanks to a partnership with Manna, a staff member from Merakey, a mental health services provider in Lansdale, will be in the North Penn Commons lobby today from 10am to 11am to talk with anyone in need. See the image for more information!

Manna on Main Street is hiring! See the description and link below for more information.

“Manna on Main Street, a nonprofit organization, provides free food services for families and individuals experiencing food insecurity. Manna’s two main food programs are a soup kitchen and food pantry. Clients can access groceries in an onsite market and by online ordering using SmartChoice, an online ordering and inventory system. Manna's Online Market Hub will open in September 2024. This new facility will house the online ordering and distribution operations. The Online Distribution Manager will assist clients with online ordering and oversee the distribution of online orders to clients.”

Access the full job posting here: https://mannaonmain.org/careers/

Thank you to Executive Director Jacqui Baxter-Rollins and Program Leader Brad Edenfield of The Partnership TMA of Montgomery County, who delivered this bike to Manna on Main Street today for Common Grounds trainee Prince, who was in need. The Partnership TMA of Montgomery County works with residents to help with transportation needs and improve transportation infrastructure.

Need legal services? See below.

Join us at an upcoming outreach! Get information about legal aid services July 10-July 25, 2024 in Exton, Norristown, Oxford / West Grove, Spring City, Chesterbrook / Wayne or Lansdale.

* Legal Clinic in Exton -July 10 | at PA CareerLink of Chester County in collaboration with Way of Chester County
* Legal Outreach at Norristown Hospitality Center - July 11
* Mobile Home Tax Reassessment Clinic in Oxford / West Grove - July 12 | with United Way of Chester County
* Veterans Resource & Health Fair in Spring City - July 13
* Veterans BBQ in Chesterbrook / Wayne - July 13 | with Rep. Melissa Shusterman
* Child Custody Workshop in Exton - July 23 | with GRANDFamily Connections of Chester County, Pa.
* Expungement Clinic in Norristown - July 24 | with Rep. Gregory Scott
* Legal Outreach in Lansdale - July 25 | at Manna on Main Street

See below for information on the Code Red that has been declared for Friday and Saturday in Montgomery County. The Cooling Center for the general public that is closest to Manna is the Lansdale Library, located at 301 Vine St. in Lansdale. For a map of Cooling Centers, click here:
https://www.pa211.org/search/19401/50/?search_term=Extreme%20Heat%20Cooling%20Programs

Extreme Weather - Heat | Montgomery County, PA - Official Website The Office of Public Health is responsible for recommending Code Red Hot Weather Health Warnings to the County Commissioners based on monitoring of National Weather Service forecasts. A Code Red Hot Weather Health Warning is issued in anticipation of an oppressively hot air mass with a heat index of...

Manna on Main Street will be closed on Thursday, July 4, in observance of Independence Day. Thank you!

On Friday, Manna’s entire staff participated in a training entitled “Trauma at the Intersection of Discrimination and Poverty,” led by our own Nadja Mummery, Director of Education and Inclusion, who developed the training. The training is part of our ongoing work to make Manna more inclusive, equitable and trauma informed in serving our diverse community.

The latter part of the day was spent engaged in team bonding activities.

Enjoy this picture of the people who are the hands and feet of our vision “that everyone might be fed” every single day, in addition to our amazing volunteers, partners and broader community!

Manna on Main Street will be closed on Friday, June 28, due to an all-staff meeting. Thank you!

See below for information on how to support Manna on Main Street's work to end hunger by making a contribution at checkout at Grocery Outlet from now through July 31.

Thank you, Grocery Outlet, for your ongoing partnership and committment to end hunger in our community!

It’s only week three for Cohort 39 of Manna’s Common Grounds Training Program, but it feels like they’ve been here and together forever! We love the comradery of this group and how eager they are to learn. During week one we enjoyed a Meet & Greet & Eat, where Manna leadership and the trainees enjoyed pizza and conversation in a relaxed atmosphere. Once week two started the trainees fully joined Manna’s café and kitchen production teams. They have been serving lattes and operating the point-of-sale system in the café, and helping prepare and cook 700 meals a day in our production kitchen for our contract meals programs. They’ve also learned about Hidden Rules and Time Management with Nadja, Knife Skills and Product Identification with Chef Lou, and passed their ServSafe Food Handler course!

Do you know someone who would benefit from Manna’s Common Grounds Training Program? Our next cohort begins August 19, and we’re already taking applications! Call or text Sue at 215-353-3727 for more information or to apply.

LANSDALE - Legal Aid of Southeastern PA (LASP) will hold a free monthly outreach at Manna on Main Street / North Penn Commons, 606 E. Main St., Lansdale, PA 19446. Stop by our table on Thursday, June 27, 2024 from 11 a.m.-1 p.m.

This outreach is also scheduled for Thursday, July 25, Aug. 22, Sept. 26, Oct. 24, Nov 21 and Dec. 19, 2024.

Have a question about the outreach? Contact Erika Felpel at 484-275-0672 or [email protected].

We were honored to host the North Penn School District Cabinet for a tour and conversation at Manna on Main Street. Over the past two years we have worked diligently to continue to strengthen our partnership to serve North Penn families in need. We are grateful for all of the NPSD teachers, counselors, administrators and staff who serve our local families and broader community so well. Thank you!

At Manna on Main Street, we believe a shower should be available to everyone. We need to restock several items for individuals who use our shower services as we head into the summer months. If you are interested in contributing, here is a link to what we need (new, in package):

https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/1I6ZXE79325CQ?ref_=abls_nvfly_yl

You can have items delivered directly to Manna, or you can drop them off at Manna’s main facility at 606 E. Main St., Lansdale, PA 19446 from 9am to 5pm Monday through Friday and from 10am to 2pm Saturday and Sunday.

Manna’s shower is available from 9am to 4:15pm Monday through Friday, subject to change. Manna provides shower supplies to all who use the shower.

Thank you!

We deeply appreciate our volunteers at Manna, which includes both individuals and groups. Check out the groups we've hosted in the past several weeks:

• Calvary Baptist School, Lansdale
• Manheim / Cox Automotive
• La Salle College High School
• Mater Dei Catholic School
• National Charity League - Central Bucks
• Merck
• Colorcon
• Kenvue

If your group is interested in volunteering, click here:
https://mannaonmain.org/give-time/how-to-volunteer-as-a-group/

Thank you to all of our volunteers for supporting Manna and those we serve together!

Manna on Main Street will be closed on Wednesday, June 19, in observance of Juneteenth. Thank you!

We are partnering with the Montgomery County Intermediate Unit this summer to provide FREE lunches for kids! Children under 18 are invited to eat lunch at Wissahickon Park on Mondays and Thursdays, 6/17-8/22, between 11am-1:30pm. Lunches will be provided on a first come, first served basis. Food must be eaten on site. Email [email protected] for more info.

Do you live in the North Penn community and need meals for your children this summer? North Penn School District's Summer Meal Program starts today. See the image for more information.

If you need additional meals, groceries, or have other needs, Manna on Main Street is here to help. All of our current program information is available here: https://mannaonmain.org/current-program-information/

North Penn SNS will be providing daily free lunch pick up throughout the community this summer! All lunches are FREE for any child 18 & younger, children must be present to get a meal. We can't wait to see you there!

In May, Manna's Kitchen served over 13,000 meals (to-go and sit-down combined) for the first time ever, up from around 5,000 per month on average just two years ago.

Meanwhile, visits to Manna's Market are up 20% compared to a year ago, and 5-8% of all Market visits every month are from households that are shopping at Manna for the first time, showing that we continue to reach new people in need.

As noted in this WHYY story, demand for food continues to rise across Montgomery County, including at Manna, and summer is a time when donations are generally slower:
https://whyy.org/articles/montgomery-county-pennsylvania-food-insecurity-council/

Here is a link if you are interested in donating food and other household needs to Manna:
https://mannaonmain.org/give-food/what-is-needed/

Here is a link if you are interested in donating funds to Manna:
https://mannaonmain.org/give-money/donate-now/

Thank you for your support!

‘Crisis point’: Montco creates council to address food insecurity The Montco Anti-Hunger Network reported a 60% increase in food pantry visits in 2023.

Manna's Common Grounds Café is closed today but will reopen at 9am Friday. See you then!

We will be closed for new cohort training on Thursday, June 13. But don't worry, we'll be back to serve you on Friday, June 14! Have a wonderful day!

We are so grateful for all of our food donors who help us provide Manna’s Market shoppers with fresh produce. We are proud to feature local agricultural groups and farms that contribute locally grown vegetables on our “donor spotlight” shelf as a way to say thank you and to inform our Market shoppers where the food is coming from. Fresh and local for the win!

We are still in need of people to sign up to assemble and donate bagged meals. Please see below for more information. Thank you!

Summer Emergency Meals: Remote Volunteer Opportunity!

As summer approaches, we are preparing for a few holiday closures. The first, Memorial Day, is quickly approaching! For each day that we are closed, we provide bagged meals in advance to all who come to Manna, and we need your support to do so!

This is a project you can help with remotely: We need volunteers who can purchase and assemble bagged breakfasts and lunches that we will distribute the day before our upcoming closure(s). This is a great opportunity for groups, and can also be done by individuals and families. We will provide guidance on what these bags should contain. While we will need hundreds over the course of the summer, any amount that you can contribute will be a huge help.

For instructions on how to participate, please email Manna’s Director of Volunteer & Community Engagement, Meg Currie Teoh, at [email protected]. Thank you!

Staring TODAY, Wednesday, June 5 through Wednesday, June 19, Wegmans in North Wales will be running a campaign called “Fill the Bus” to support Manna on Main Street and all those we serve, including children. At the cash register or self check out, you will be able to donate directly to Manna. At this critical moment of increased demand for our services, we are so grateful for this community’s generous, consistent support. Thank you!

See below for a survey being conducted by Legal Aid of Southeastern PA. What are the legal services needs in your community? Take their survey to offer your ideas.

Manna on Main Street will be closed on Monday, May 27. Thank you!