Last night our Mission and Service/Social Concerns committee went on a field trip. Although we have always encouraged support of the Food Bank through food donations and communion offerings no one, including me, had even been to the Manna Food Bank. Last night we met Jim Hartill a member of our congregation and a very involved volunteer at the Manna Food Bank and he gave us a tour and provided us with a lot of valuable information.

 

By the end of May in 2010 the records show that 3039 people have accessed food from the food bank. This number represents the number of people fed by every visit. That means that if a mom comes and she had three children she represents four people and if she has come once a month (the maximum number of visits she can make) so far in 2010 that would register as 20 people fed (four people times five visits). 3039 represents a lot of people requiring the Food Bank in our community. Not only that, the data shows a 5% increase in number of clients assisted in 2010 to the same period last year.

 

When a client arrives at the Food Bank they are given a chart where on which is listed all the items available for them to select from. They are given a points limit and each food item is given a points value. So the client chooses items they require until the points quota is reached.

 

We asked Jim, who not only stocks shelves but also does the buying for the food bank, how the Food Bank gets their supplies. He said they rely totally on donations and so far they have been blessed with generosity from the community. Of course they appreciate any thing that comes to them. Many people like to donate food but money donations are very valuable too. Money means the food bank can then buy in bulk and buy what they require in order to meet the client’s need.

 

I didn’t ask Jim how the Food Bank got its name. Manna is a biblical word. It refers to the food that ‘fell from heaven’ to feed the Moses and the people of Israel as they wandered in the wilderness. It seems, based on Jim’s report that, in fact, the Manna Food Bank does daily get manna as the community shares food and money generously. That said, the need is great, so let us hope that the manna continues to come.