Manna Food Bank

Healthy opportunities pilot (hop) through north carolina's healthy opportunities pilot, manna serves as the regional lead for food insecurity services. the healthy opportunities pilot in north carolina invests up front in access to nutritious food and other essential supports to improve health outcomes and prevent the need for costly medical care later on. during the fiscal year, manna provided consistent access to healthy food while improving health outcomes for residents with chronic conditions by distributing 128,828 in benefits to over 735 participants,. this work strengthens the link between nutrition and health and helps reduce barriers for people living on a limited income who are managing illness. public education manna foodbank is a non-partisan organization dedicated to educating the public on the issues that affect the people that we serve. we are developing solutions to hunger that are community-driven, equitable, accessible, and value everyone. we are working to end hunger for all western north carolinians through our commitment to providing food for today, food for tomorrow, and food for a lifetime. a year of unprecedented challenge and recovery on september 27, 2024, hurricane helene completely destroyed manna foodbank's facilities and operations. in a matter of hours,. manna became the first food bank in the feeding america network's history to experience a total loss. the losses were immense. in addition to both warehouses and our entire food inventory, manna also lost: "all warehouse equipment, including pallet jacks, forklifts, reach trucks, and everyday supplies such as boxes, pallets, and gloves; "all it infrastructure, including servers, laptops, printers, barcode scanners, and a/v equipment; "the reclamation center, which rescued more than 2 million pounds of food each year; "office furniture, supplies, and all facility contents necessary for daily operations. the only major assets we were able to save were our trucks. because the team had moved them to higher ground, those trucks were back on the road within days, reaching the hardest-hit mountain communities with emergency food and water. within forty-eight hours, manna launched a temporary distribution at the wnc farmers market. by the end of the first week, we had secured and moved into an 84,000-square-foot warehouse to keep food flowing to our sixteen- county service area. construction is now underway to build out 14,000 square feet of cold storage, office space, a volunteer center and add backup power to safeguard perishable food in future disasters. the new mills river facility represents not only recovery but renewal-stronger, safer, and built for the long road ahead. across western north carolina, the storm left deep scars. many partner pantries lost their buildings, food, and vehicles. manna continues to work alongside them to restore local capacity and plan for the future. community needs remain higher than ever. yet through every challenge, the outpouring of generosity from donors, volunteers, and neighbors has kept food on tables and hope alive. what began as a devastating loss has become a testament to this region's resilience and to manna's enduring commitment to serve, no matter the circumstances.

Community impact after helene since hurricane helene, manna has distributed more than 15 million meals and delivered generators, propane, coolers, cleaning supplies, and hygiene products to families across western north carolina. food distribution remains far above pre-storm levels as communities continue to rebuild and recover. this response was only possible because of the extraordinary generosity of our community. donors, volunteers, farmers, faith groups, corporate partners, and neighbors came together in remarkable ways to donate funds, food, and time when they were needed most. volunteers helped load trucks and staff emergency distributions. local businesses opened their doors and shared supplies. farmers donated produce even while facin