Manna Food Network Help During COVID-19

Manna Food Network : WHERE TO GET HELP PARTNER AGENCY NETWORK
We continue to coordinate with our Partner Agency Network of food providers. These nonprofit partners hold free food distributions, meals, and other food-related support, and are located across 16 WNC counties. Please refer to this list, which we will keep updated with current information. (Updated 3.31.20 at 3:00 PM)

COVID-19
With the emergence of COVID-19 on a state, national, and global level, MANNA FoodBank staff is working with county and state government agencies, Feeding the Carolinas, Feeding America, and many other organizations to address the impact on Western North Carolina and the thousands of residents and families we serve. We are following all public safety recommendations from the CDC and North Carolina Department of Human Services at our warehouse facilities in Asheville, NC in order to ensure the safety of our staff, volunteers, partner agencies, the people we serve, and the general public. 

We will continue to keep our website updated with important and relevant information as we work to address the most acute issues coming out of this situation.

MANNA FOOD HELPLINE
If you are looking for food resources, or if someone you know doesn’t have access to the internet, please call MANNA’s Food Helpline: 1-800-820-1109

The Food Helpline team will help connect you to: partner pantries in your area, school food support, and other community resources for families experiencing an emergency food crisis.

 
 
HOW YOU CAN HELP
Currently, we know that many people might need to self-isolate, especially people who are in the high risk categories (65+ years of age and immune compromised individuals). The people we serve across WNC are already facing a daily struggle without this compounding factor, and if the many working people just making ends meet are faced sudden income disruption, we will see an even deeper crisis.

If you are interested in helping respond to immediate needs, sign up for our Immediate Needs text alert by texting the keyword READY to 828-348-5883.

We are asking that if people want to help, to do the following:

DONATE FUNDS.
Please make a financial donation to MANNA’s general food distribution work. We are already purchasing additional food resources to provide through our partner agency network, including product for family food boxes.

DONATE FOOD AND SUPPLIES.
Please make healthy shelf stable food donations. We recommend easy to make meals and healthy snacks, like dried nuts and fruit, etc.

We are also in need of sanitizing and cleaning supplies, specifically hand sanitizer and sanitizing wipes.

All food and supply donations can be dropped off in MANNA’s Main Entrance/Volunteer Center parking lot, next to the ramp. There are currently two large donation bins: one is marked for food, the other for cleaning supplies.

VOLUNTEER.
If you are part of the low risk population, we need your help as a volunteer now more than ever. Volunteers are the driving force behind the daily work at MANNA, and with 50% of our regular volunteers in a high-risk category for the virus, we have a serious need for more hands of support.

IMPORTANT NOTE:
You MUST sign up for a shift at this link. We are incredibly grateful to everyone who wants to help with volunteer support. As we are currently following strict health and safety protocols at our warehouses, as well as needing to plan for our daily operations, we need volunteer headcounts in advance. Due to the current circumstances, we will have to turn people away if you are not officially registered for a volunteer shift. So, please sign up! We promise we will put your willing hands to good use. 

Individuals: If you are in a low-risk category, and are interested in helping pack kids packs and family food boxes at MANNA, please visit this link to sign up: http://cerv.is/m?0330rCOVID19

Current volunteers: If you are responsibly isolating, and are a regular volunteer with MANNA, please log in to CERVIS and remove your registration for your regular shifts. We are working to address what our daily needs are, and that will help us tremendously!

Groups: If you are a representative of a group interested in volunteering at MANNA, please send an email to volunteering(at)mannafoodbank.org.

We are asking any volunteers who come to MANNA to please:
1. Sign up for a shift on our website.
2. Come at your appointed shift time (5 minutes early, no earlier, no later).
3. Wash your hands on entering the building. You will be asked to wear gloves, which we will provide.

We are employing several new protocols to ensure the safety, health, and well being of all of our volunteers and staff, and are so very appreciative of everyone’s efforts to help out.

ADVOCATE.
Sign up for our monthly newsletter and action alerts, here.