Montgomery Community Media

Here at Manna, we work hard to provide the 32.3% of MCPS school children who qualify for free- and reduced-price meals (FARMS) with nutritious foods for the weekend. Our Karen Goldberg Smart Sacks program provides over 2,000 elementary school kids with bags of meals and snacks for the weekend when FARMS are unavailable.   Kids […]

Manna Food Center serves thousands of Montgomery County residents, and sometimes those folks end up working here at Manna. Our great warehouse assistant Jamal answered some questions about his family’s needs being met through Manna last year. Thank you to everyone who provides assistance to Manna, and to our great staff who work hard at […]

UPDATED Residents, non-profit providers, community activists and elected leaders gathered at the Silver Spring Civic Building on the eve of Feb. 8 to discuss their work week living on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) $5 per day food budget. MyMCMedia’s Sonya Burke reports. As noted in the above video, it was Montgomery County Councilmember […]

I know my experience this week is not comparable to many people who survive with the help of government assistance for food. However, there are bound to be some commonalities.  “The end of the month was really hard.” One of my friends shared that with me a few days ago as she remembered the time […]

After three days of five, out of the $50 John and I had to spend, we have almost $10 left. In three days, I have eaten a lot of celery with peanut butter. Tonight my husband John had the leftover brown rice with black beans and chicken thighs casserole. He also had a salad of […]

If you were on a strict clothing budget, you wouldn’t go into Nordstrom Rack and pick up a pair of pants that don’t match anything else in your wardrobe. You probably wouldn’t even buy them if they went with just 1 or 2 items. No. In this scenario you want a pair of pants that […]

Manna’s dietitian Jenna Umbriac has been all over the news today, from her part in the SNAP the Silence press conference to an interview with WTOP news. This afternoon, Jenna shared her shopping list for the challenge with me. The list is set for 2 people ($50 a week in SNAP benefits), so you can […]

Jenna Umbriac, Manna’s dietitian, will be blogging about Councilwoman Valerie Ervin’s SNAP the Silence Challenge. Saving money on your weekly food purchase begins before you even enter the grocery store.  Planning is the key to getting the healthiest food for your money.  So be SMART before you shop by following these money-saving tips: S – […]

Jenna Umbriac, Manna’s dietitian, will be blogging about Councilwoman Valerie Ervin’s SNAP the Silence Challenge. The challenge begins on Monday, but Jenna is already preparing: Yesterday I began my preparation for the upcoming SNAP the Silence challenge. This activity is designed to increase awareness about the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, formerly known as Food Stamps, […]

Manna Food Center and Giant Food stores in Montgomery County teamed up again over the MLK weekend to hold our annual MLK Food Drive. The amazing response from the community has kept our drivers busy all week picking up your donations from Giant stores. County Executive Ike Leggett came out to the Wheaton Giant on […]