MANNA FoodBank, Inc.

Programs: Product collection, storage and distribution manna foodbank serves as the central distribution center for more than 200 nonprofit partner agencies that provide food assistance throughout the 16 counties of western north carolina. These agencies include food pantries, shelters, community kitchens and other organizations offering food for people who struggle with hunger - from children, families, seniors and the disabled to the working poor. 1. In fy 2014, manna distributed over 14 million pounds of food and groceries through its network of nonprofit partner agencies with food assistance programs - enough for more than 11,750,000 million meals. This represents a 22 percent growth in food distribution, up 1. 3 million pounds from the prior fiscal year. 2. Manna foodbank recognizes that food and the nutritional value of that food is the cornerstone of overall health and well-being. Therefore, we emphasize the nutritional quality of the food distributed. In fy 2014, we distributed 3. 4 million pounds of fresh produce to partner agencies, an increase of 25 percent over the prior year. 3. For every dollar donated, manna is able to distribute the equivalent of 3. 4 meals. One way manna is able to accomplish this high level of impact is through its tremendous volunteer support. In fy 2014, 8,866 volunteers gave 59,413 hours of their time - the equivalent of 30 full-time staff members. Volunteers sorted and repacked food, provided office support, and represented manna in the community through our manna ambassadors program.

manna continued the implementation of the network capacity improvement project, a comprehensive assessment for our agencies designed to identify areas of strength and opportunities for improvement. In an effort to better serve all 16 counties in our service area, we accepted and oriented 23 new partner agencies, several in high-need or underserved areas. As part of our continued support of our current partners, we completed 142 site monitoring visits to agencies and offered an online food safety training course. Manna organized and coordinated talking councils in all 16 counties of our service area. These gatherings were held quarterly to promote dialogue among neighboring manna partner agencies on a more localized level.

manna foodbank provides direct food assistance with the manna packs for kids program, a program that operates in all 16 counties of wnc during the school year. Each week, an average of 4,333 food insecure children are given a small parcel of healthy food to provide nourishment throughout the weekend. During the summer months, the summer packs program reaches 1,200 children in 7 counties. Food and nutrition services (fns) outreach is a face-to-face program that allowspeople with little or no income to buy nutritious food with the help offood assistance. 1,026 households were assisted with applications through fns outreach. At the end of fy 2014 the manna food helpline was launched. The helpline helps clients determine if he or she might be eligible for food assistance telephonically; additionally, the service aids clients in completing and filing applications for food assistance.

performed advocacy, education and outreach for the purpose of addressing food insecurity in the wnc region.