Manna on Main Street is Moving!

Our new home has walls! Learn more about construction at 713 W. Main Street and watch a 50-second video update.

Photo by Geoff Patton of The Reporter

Construction is well underway at 713 W. Main Street! Walls are going up to outline our new food pantry and soup kitchen. We are on schedule for our move in mid-March. We can't wait to open our doors for the community and offer more space and services to help those in need.

Click here for a video update on construction and see sparks fly! Stay tuned for more video updates.

Why are we moving?

The Need

Hunger is growing in our community. In the past three years, food pantry use has increased by 60%. While we used to serve 60 meals per day in our soup kitchen, we're now serving 80 to 100 meals each day during the winter season. Often, our line is out the door!

Our phone hasn't stopped ringing. Each month, we provide an average of $3,000 in emergency financial aid. We coordinate more than 65 referrals each month. Families are desperate and resources are lean. We want to do more...

We're elbow to elbow. Manna operates out of 800 square feet, which includes our soup kitchen, food pantry and administrative offices. With more people in need, the space around us is shrinking. We cannot continue to feed and care for our community without a bigger facility.

The Location

Room to grow! Through three years of research and preparation, Manna has signed a lease to rent 5,200 square feet at 713 W. Main Street in Lansdale. This property is just two blocks away from our current location, remaining accessible and familiar to those who use our services, while providing significantly more space to improve operations. For the first time, Manna will have a commercial kitchen, improving the efficiency and quality of our meal preparation! Our food pantry and soup kitchen will operate out of separate spaces, allowing families more room to shop for groceries and eat at our table. We will be able to serve those in need with greater dignity, offering all a space to feel comfortable and welcome.

The Opportunities

We strengthen our services. At our core, we're focused on food and community. We partner with 1,000 volunteers each year to serve more than 20,000 meals and provide groceries to 600 families. With a bigger facility, we can engage volunteers in more ways, inviting even more community members to be a part of this service. We can expand our soup kitchen and pantry to provide more resources without waiting lines.

We change lives. Hunger is complicated – those who face food insecurity are often poor, unemployed or struggling with crises that require extra help. With a new facility, we can offer vocational and life skills trainings. We can open our kitchen to those seeking nutrition education or help with meal preparation. We can offer opportunities for change.

We build a sustainable future. At Manna, we're excited for the opportunities ahead. With more space, we can better utilize community resources, offering enhanced food access and distribution. We can engage more community organizations, creating partnerships that strengthen our region's response to those in need. We can grow as a community leader, enhancing our role in the Nutrition Coalition and in our region's response to hunger. We can build a future where everyone might be fed.

To learn more about these plans or how you can get involved, please contact Manna's Development Associate, Kristyn DiDominick, 215-855-5454 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

Click here to read our public announcement in the December 7, 2011 issue of The Reporter. Thanks to Dan Sokil and Geoff Patton!

Thanks to WNPV, Phil Hunt and Darryl Berger for sharing our message with the community! Click here for the WNPV announcement.

Click here for a Montgomery Media video of Tom Allebach at the construction site.

Stay tuned for updates! We look forward to our next steps together.

Attachments:

One more look...	260 Kb
Sneak peek at our building design	207 Kb