Member-only story
Manna Puts Food Justice Front and Center
Jackie DeCarlo is Chief Executive Officer of Manna Food Center.
This interview has been edited lightly.
What does everybody need to know about Manna Food Center?
I think a lot of people know us as Montgomery County’s designated food bank, but I’d really like everybody to understand at a deeper level what Manna is doing to achieve our vision of a community where all people have access to safe, sufficient, nutritious food.
Manna is working to address the intersecting issues of hunger, health, and housing in areas of Montgomery County where the need is greatest. Our new Food Center in East County makes it easier for East County residents to get food assistance, but it’s also a place where folks can come to receive a variety of services from Manna and partner organizations, things like [Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program] SNAP benefits, after-school tutoring, nutrition education, and health services. We are right across the street from our friends at Montgomery Housing Partnership.
Manna is also formalizing and funding partnerships with trusted leaders within Latino, African immigrant, and Asian communities where food insecurity is highest. To properly serve these communities, we must first earn trust and respect, and these partnerships are helping us do that. Community…
