Choices

A young man raises up his hands, interlocks his fingers and brings them down to rest on his head. There is a look of despair on his face. Something very wrong has happened and it's entirely out of his control. Crestfallen, he wonders what to do. The opponent's team has intercepted the pass and returned it for a touchdown, and his team has lost.

Earlier that day, unknown to him, a single mother stopped in at Manna on Main Street. She was unemployed, and did not have the money to pay her electric bill. She and her family would be cold, living in the dark, were it not for the good people in our community that provide us the funds to assist people in need.

How is it... where is it... that we decide to pour out our hearts, expend our passion, our energy...

Turkey Special

We've been going back and forth with the good people from Merck. Each year they provide us with turkeys for our holiday basket distribution. We weren't certain when the birds would arrive, but we just learned they will be here on the Monday before Thanksgiving. They'll be delivering the usual number of turkeys: 648.

This sounds like a huge number, and it really is... but each year we manage to distribute all of the turkeys... by working with other local food pantries, churches and other religious organizations. Actually, this year, 648 turkeys may not be enough. Every food pantry in the area has seen dramatically increased needs, and more organizations are contacting us for help. We're still not certain how many families will need food baskets, not just for Thanksgiving, but for the Christmas holiday as well. Still, we remain confident that everyone will be fed...

Paybacks

They would show up for the soup kitchen nearly every day. The mom and her kids - three girls and a boy, all under the age of nine. In the beginning they were a mess. Invariably one of the little ones was crying, while the others were spilling their drinks and dropping most of their food on the floor. On top of that, they weren't very good at cleaning up after themselves. And when there were take-home items for the guests, they were usually the first in line, taking more than their share. At the outset, it seemed like they were interested only in taking.

But over time, there has been a marked change. They have learned about sharing, and are truly thankful for the food they receive. What really highlighted that was an incident last week. Since the children are so young, the family receives free milk through WIC (a program for Women, Infant and Children). The mother had not been able to find her milk coupons for the past few weeks and eventually found them under her car seat. All the coupons were going to expire the next day, but even with four kids, they would not have been able to use all the milk themselves. So she went to WIC and redeemd the coupons and donated 9 gallons of milk to Manna. She and her daughters were beaming with joy as they carried in the milk.

It was another reminder for us that people who are receiving also respond when there is an opportunity to give...

Beginnings

Sunday night, Nov. 1st is our big event. We'll be celebrating the book we've written, Those People, and having a fundraiser as well (details on our web site). The intent is to raise awareness of our need for a new facility so that we can improve and increase our outreach to people in need. Some would argue that it's a new beginning. I would suggest that is not the case at all.

Nearly 30 years ago a group of caring individuals came together. They realized there were real people struggling to get by: elderly, working poor and homeless who needed a helping hand. Today, it is the same situation. Only this time there is a larger gathering of neighbors to lend support. The broader community recognizes that the needs in our neighborhoods continues to grow. They further accept the calling and responsibility to respond, just as that small group did years ago.

Often, there is more power and hope in an old beginning...

Hot Tickets

The conversation never really went too far.

On Sunday, November 1st, Manna on Main Street will be holding its fundraiser to celebrate its book "Those People" and to raise seed funding so that we might find a larger facility. Also on that evening there will more than likely be an event in Philadelphia that may create a conflict for a handful of individuals. The question was, should we do something to accommodate those who may be torn between watching a baseball game and making a difference in the lives of people in need.

The conversation never really went too far...

A Mess

That was the best way to describe my office Thursday morning. My laptop was resting on a shelf littered with papers. My desk was covered with a tablecloth. A large folding sign was in the center of the desk along with a stack of fliers. I had to smile. It was the nursing students again. They had taken over our offices the previous Friday providing flu shots, and they were back again offering health screenings and advice to our clients.

It's really an ideal situation for everyone. The nursing students get to practice what they have learned by working directly with individuals who often do not have access to health care. Often it creates chaos, and a bit of overcrowding in our small facility, but it's worth it. The clients really appreciate the personalized attention they would not receive in a clinical setting. It is really an expression of what Manna is all about: people coming together in a friendly, caring environment, to serve and to be served...

It isn't and It is

Tickets. For the past couple of weeks our board members and other volunteers have been focusing on selling tickets for our upcoming November 1st event. We will be at the Lansdale Center for the Performing Arts, celebrating the book we've written, and having a fund raiser for Manna. The funds raised will be used as seed funding to find a new building for Manna.

One of the board members put it well: It isn't about the money, and then again it is. We aren't raising money for money's sake, we're doing for a larger reason. Our present space is woefully inadequate to effectively serve our clients today. And it is limiting our ability to grow and explore new ways that we could serve. And so it is about raising money. Part of that will come through ticket sales, and the other from the auction and raffle items we will have at the event.

Details are available at www.mannaonmain.org/content/view/61