Manna on Main Street responds to crisis

Manna on Main Street, which provides essential services to many in the North Penn area, released the following statement on Saturday from Executive Director Suzan Neiger Gould:

Thank you for all of your support of Manna on Main Street and of those we serve. Your support is critical as we continue to navigate the impact of COVID-19. Montgomery County has deemed Manna and other local pantries essential service organizations, and we will remain open. Over the course of the next two weeks, we will modify our services while we work to serve seniors, families with children and other vulnerable populations.

Starting Monday, March 16, the morning meal in Manna’s Kitchen will transition to to-go meals only, while our evening meal will include an option for a sit down meal as well as a to-go option. Our weekend brunch will follow the same procedure as our evening meals. These methods will allow us to serve the community while also practicing social distancing to ensure the safety of our clients, volunteers, staff, and larger community.

Manna’s Market will continue to operate regularly with both in-person and online shopping. In our current service model, we are able to ensure and control social distancing so we feel we are able to maintain our current service structure. Our Market currently serves the North Penn School District. However, for the foreseeable future, we will extend that and serve households in need with emergency food bags.

We will still be providing emergency financial assistance to households in need but will be conducting follow-up conversations by phone only in accordance with social distancing practices. In conjunction with Governor Wolf’s call for the closures of schools in the county, our Common Grounds Food Service Training to Employment Program, as well as all other training and education programs, will be suspended for two weeks. The new training cohort that was set to start at the end of the month will receive a new start date. Common Grounds Café and Catering will be closed through March 29. If you have worked with Chef Lisa on a catering order, we ask that you reach out to her directly at catering@mannaonmain.org.

While we are making these changes to our service model, we still need the help of our dedicated volunteers. At this point, our existing volunteer schedule via Volgistics will remain in place. If you are scheduled over the next two weeks, please know that we look forward to seeing you. If you are unable to come in, we ask that you follow usual volunteer protocol and remove yourself from the calendar or email our Volunteer Director, Meg, directly at meg@mannaonmain.org. Our volunteers are vital to our program operations throughout the entire year but especially in these times of change and flexibility.

Many of you may be wondering how you can help households in need over the next two weeks and beyond. The answer is a simple and fast one—make a financial donation. The economic impact on nonprofits will be substantial and felt before long. Financial donations, while complying with social distancing and reducing risk of exposure, allow us to leverage our purchasing power to provide food for more individuals, including seniors and families with children, in the midst of County closures. Please consider a financial donation—no matter how big or small—to support those in need in our community. Donate online at https://mannaonmain.org/give-money/ donate-now/.

In the days and weeks to come, we will continue to monitor COVID-19 and its impact in Montgomery County and beyond. We plan to reassess program alterations and suspensions, and we will continue to provide updates as necessary. Thank you for your continued support of Manna, especially during this uncertain time.