Manna Minute

Ready or not, the holidays are here. The pace of this season so often induces stress and financial strain–for those with jobs and especially those without. How do we celebrate in the midst of this tension? I love this mantra:  “interrupt anxiety with gratitude.” It’s one we put into practice at Manna this month, with […]

Greetings, I am Malori Holloman, Program Manager of Manna’s Smart Sacks program. What comes to mind when you think of a food bank? Prior to working at Manna, I envisioned a line of people signing in to receive a box of canned food and going on their way. It didn’t take long for me to […]

Observations from three consecutive minutes at Manna this week: Mark Mills, a chocolatier, professional chef, and, oh yes, full-time farmer at Chocolate and Tomatoes farm, pulls up to Manna Food Center in his pick up truck, bearing gifts: coolers and crates overflow with freshly picked collard greens, cucumbers, jalapeños and even fresh ginger. 648 pounds of […]

In honor of Farmers Market week we are remembering the epic battle between Manna’s Nutrition Education team and Whole Foods Market’s Chef Charlie at the Clarksburg Farmers Market’s Inaugural “Chopped” Challenge. If you missed the first culinary battle, the competitors (and generous partners) will be at it again on Sunday, September 27 making delicious, spontaneous […]

June rounds out another series of Cooking Matters at the Store tours–that’s 200 Manna clients attending in-store nutrition classes in just three months! While I’ve shared some exciting updates about our bi-lingual store tours, we’ve begun an additional class format that allows us to reach even further into the marginalized area of our community. “Pop-Up […]

These “April showers” are certainly living up to their reputation. So far, the spring is warm, but not so much yet that our farmer’s markets are open and bursting with vibrant produce. The conventional grocery stores into which I’ve stepped lately feature piles of pineapple and citrus. Give me some veggies, too, please! During conversations […]

I’ve shared before how much our clients value our Cooking Matter at the Store grocery store tours. We’ve reached over 500 participants in this wonderful program, and at least once a month a client calls to share: “I really never knew that it was cheaper to buy in bulk! I’m saving on my grocery bill […]

At Manna, I post recipes in our lobby and send out health tips in all of our closed food boxes. While I create them for clients, I’m especially tickled when volunteers and visiting donors take a recipe and tell me what a hit it was with their families. As Manna’s Nutrition Educator, I like to […]

I spy with my little eye some lofty promises around what looks like a candy bar. “Get 35% of your daily fiber, antioxidants Vitamin E and zinc, plus whole grains in this delicious flavor from the folks at Kellogg’s FiberPlus®. With tasty ingredients like real peanuts and peanut butter, plus a chocolatey drizzle on top […]

Manna has been operating its Farm to Food Bank program since 2010 and values its close relationship with local and regional farmers. Each weekend from May through November Manna receives unsold produce from seven Montgomery County farmers markets.  Through this initiative, known as Fresh Give, these markets provide Manna with over 20,000 pounds of fresh […]