Final Posting...

Dear Manna Friends,

By now, you probably know that I have resigned my position of Executive Director. After more than 12 years, it may seem to be a bittersweet moment; but for me there is no bitterness, only a feeling of gratitude and joy. It has been an honor to be part of such a wonderful mission, and to engage with such a supportive family of community members. While I may have been considered the face of Manna over that time, it was never about me, but rather the people we collectively serve.

To the many supporters and volunteers of Manna: I want to thank you for all you have done to help Manna grow. Whether you serve a meal, drop off food, donate financially or share your time as a volunteer or committee member, you make a difference that is impossible to measure. I now join you in this service, and encourage you to continue your support of Manna, especially as the mission grows and moves to a larger facility.

To the clients of Manna: I want to thank you for the opportunity to serve you. My constant prayer for you is that you will continue to be treated with the dignity and respect you deserve, and that through Manna, this caring community might make your lives better. I am also hopeful that you will continue to think of Manna as your extended family, a home you can always come to for help and support.

To the staff of Manna: Remember that I will remain your biggest fan. I know how demanding this important work can be; what you do is so vital to this community. I care deeply about you and will play the role of an overly-proud grandparent, bragging about how special you are and imploring the world to support and care for you as well.

Lastly, to this wonderful community: I encourage you to continue to come together; not to join hands, but to keep them ready so that we might lift up our neighbors, our friends and our extended family so that they too might share in the blessings God has so graciously given to us.

With gratitude,

Tom Allebach

Don't Change

The common sentiment, when things are right with the world, is the desire to keep things as they are. With individuals and organizations, the mindset can be "don't change" we love you just the way you are.

As Manna looks to move to our new facility in the coming months, we will be seriously considering how we can change, make conditions better for the people we serve. The changes may be disruptive and challenging, but we realize that we need to continue to evolve to meet the growing needs of the people that come through our doors.

In the midst of the change, however, will be the sameness of how we engage with people; treating them with kindness, with dignity and respect, to soften the impact of changes we will all encounter...

New Year = Not Yet

While many are celebrating the arrival of the New Year, we are in the mode of considering the Not Yet. It's the same perspective of anticipating, looking ahead, thinking about what may come to pass.

As we think about our impending move to a new facility, we recognize there is still much work to be done. We know that not yet, is everyone being fed; not yet, does everyone have a warm bed for the night; not yet, is everyone living in dignity.

It is with great hope and anticipation that we will have you with us in the New Year, in the Not Yet, to consider the lasting change we can bring about for our friends, our neighbors in this community.

Leaving and Staying

You may have heard that Manna on Main Street will be moving from its current location. In a few months we're planning to vacate our 28-year home at 514 W. Main Street to Lansdale, and move to a larger facility at 713 W. Main Street in Lansdale.

Here are just a few thoughts on those components of leaving and staying:

Leaving - Clients waiting outside, not having access to a bathroom, poor access for the disabled

Staying - Caring volunteers, service above self, a welcoming place where everyone is fed...

Small Moments

For the past few weeks, Manna has enjoyed the help of an intern (we’ll call her Megan) from a local college. Megan’s studies are focused on a career in business, but she helped work on our Christmas gift program for kids.

In one of her conversations with Kristyn, Manna’s development associate, Megan was asking questions about the people that come to us for help, their life situations and the realities they face.

After more listening and more questions, it was like the flood gates opened for her – in that moment Megan came to realize how difficult life can be for others and the limited options they have.

Even though she came to Manna with a mindset for business, she will be leaving with a different perspective on the world. Like many that come through our doors, she will probably never be the same…

Still Learning

Considering Manna on Main Street's 30 years of service to the community, there could be the temptation to say that we have this all figured out. That we know people's needs, how to respond, how to best serve.

The truth is, we will never have this fully sorted out, because people's needs continue to evolve. Some of the things we did years ago (pre-packing bags of food for families, for example) would not work today, because we know they need the dignity of choice.

In fact we need to do more listening, try more innovative ways of reaching out to positively impact people's lives. While we ask more from our clients what they think, we also need to hear from you.

How do you think we can serve, do more...

Know Thanks

You may not see it, but we witness it every day.

Good people, in need, coming to the table, thanking us as they leave, filled.

Good people, in abundance, bringing food to the table, we thank them as they leave, filled.

Yes, we know thanks...

The Working Poor

Creative, innovative, savvy.

These are not typical words to describe the poor, but it is a common trait of people in need. Their resources are limited, sometimes fleeting, and they must be quick thinking to survive day-to-day.

As we see more and more people coming through our doors, we continue to be impressed how individuals continue to live on limited or no income, how they press on with a fragmented support network, how they continue to persevere.

The poor work very hard indeed, even more so when they have no job...

Going Green (and Red and Orange and Brown)

Manna has certainly made efforts to be as “green” as possible. We recycle tons of cardboard and plastic, and have moved from using Styrofoam soup bowls to those made of biodegradable cardboard. When we eventually move to a new location, there will be the opportunity to utilize real plates and flatware that can be washed and reused, but more on that later.

How we would really like to make ourselves greener (and other earth colors) is in the food we provide to the families that shop at Manna. We are looking to offer more fresh produce. In particular, for our Thanksgiving basket distribution, we are planning to give out bags of apples, potatoes, carrots and oranges to each of the households that receives a basket (estimated at 175).

If you are interested in helping in this effort, please give us a call and let us know what you can share…

Silent Sirens

If you walk down any Main Street and see an ambulance racing by, sirens blaring, you have a pretty good idea that some type of crisis is playing out. Perhaps there’s an accident nearby, or an individual at home has fallen seriously ill. The noise, the flashing lights are a warning, indicators of on-setting calamity.

If you walk the hallway of Manna on Main Street, the sirens are silent, and yet equally real. Individuals and families are in crisis, desperate for food, jobs, health care. But you can’t always tell from the surface. People continue to struggle on their own, and it’s only when we engage them, heart to heart, that we learn their life stories, and hopefully help guide them along to a better place…

Looking After Family

For better or worse, we do not get to choose our family members, save for our spouse. Sometimes the dynamics are very positive, and other times relationships may not be ideal; but, in the end, family sticks together and looks out for each other.

So it is with the Manna family, those that gather around our dining table each day. Some very good friendships have evolved over the years, and there are some instances where it is best when certain people don’t sit together.

What is heartening is how they all look out for each other. If an individual doesn’t show up to eat for a few days, the word gets out. Family members will comb the streets looking for the lost loved one. Volunteers and Manna staff members become part of the family as well, showing concern for each person’s well-being.

Though most of Manna’s family would choose not to be there, they know that there is always someone there to look after them, to make sure they are fed…

Out of Control

On the surface, life at Manna can appear hectic. If you were to observe the action over the next few weeks (actually until the New Year), you might think things are out of control. Phones are ringing, people are constantly streaming in, asking for help, looking to volunteer, and food donations are piling up in the hallway.

While we strive to have systems in place to accommodate people’s needs and maintain operational processes, we understand that service to others can be messy, chaotic, and not always follow a script or plan. What matters is how we treat people, how we engage them, showing them that no matter who they are, not matter their life standing, that there is a place for them at Manna, here, in our community…

Small-Big Picture

Have you ever tried to take a photograph of a tight space, perhaps a room. Often it’s impossible to capture a small space and represent what it is like. The same could be said for trying to take a picture of an expansive blue sky, one filled with wispy clouds and the billowy trails of jets gone by. It's just too big to grasp without actually seeing it.

So it could be said of Manna: the space, the rooms are so small, it can be difficult for a picture to demonstrate its size. And too, the caring, the impact, is so huge, the only way to truly appreciate it, is to experience it…

Getting Put in my Place

It would have been easy enough to feel self-important.

I attended three different community events this past weekend. Two of them were fundraisers put on by supporters of Manna: the Merck Federal Credit Union and Villari’s Self Defense Center. Between the two organizations, they raised over $20,000. Feeling pretty proud of the relationships I had developed, I moved on to the Lansdale Octoberfest. There I was warmly greeted by a number of prominent community members.

While standing there, Mayor Andy Szekely asked if I would help judge the pie-eating contest. After trading a few jokes about the importance of the position, I walked over to the table of contestants. There were about 20 kids sitting there with their hands behind their back, excited with the messy prospect of eating chocolate cream pie. One person at the table, however, was not a child, but a young man who I recognized as being a frequent guest at Manna. He sat there with dull eyes as his pie was set before him.

The mayor called out for the eating to begin, and after just a couple of minutes a young boy was declared the winner. Moms and dads rushed forward to congratulate their kids and help them get cleaned up, but the young man at the table lingered. I walked up to him and mentioned he had quite a bit of chocolate on his face, and that he might want to get a napkin. He noted with concern that his stuff, a backpack and jacket, were there on the ground and he didn’t want to leave them there unattended. I said I would watch his things and so he went off in search of a napkin. After wandering around a while, a woman noticed him, handed him a napkin and he came back wiping off his mouth. He wasn’t doing a very good job. There was still chocolate on his nose and chin. I took the napkin from him and began wiping him clean.

It struck me that what I was doing right then was the most important thing I had done the entire weekend, possibly the entire year. Here was a young man, and yet a child in need of simple care – wiping his face clean – so he could move on in the day, feel looked after, cared for, with a sense of self-dignity. Perhaps I’m reading too much into how he might have felt, but I know what was stirring inside of me: what makes us important is not who we are, but how we respond to the call of serving, especially to the little ones, no matter what they look like, no matter their age, no matter their standing…

Giving Up

For some of the folks that come to Manna on Main Street, giving up is their only option. The rent is three months past due, the electric is turned off and the unemployment has run out. They've exhausted their family's resources and there is nowhere else to turn to.

Our task then, is to also give up, but in a different context. We give up by giving more; increasing our caring, looking for other opportunities to alleviate the suffering. We have resources, food, income, a support network, but most importantly we have a choice. Something the little ones of this earth do not have...

Enough for Today

As many people know, the origin of manna can be found in a story from the Bible. One of the characteristics of the manna, the bread from heaven, was that it was to be enough for the day, not something to be stored up for the future.

That principle applies to this Manna, the one on Main Street, as well. We do not always know about our future, where all the food will come from, what kind of support we will receive to pay our bills and provide aid to those we serve. But that’s good enough for us. We know that for today, we are here. We have faith in this community that we will be here for tomorrow.

That faith has carried us for nearly 30 years, and prayerfully, for many years to come…

>0

More and more. That's the best way to describe it. More and more people coming to us with impossible situations.

Just a couple of weeks ago a woman called. Her husband was ill and unable to work. She was unemployed, the home was in foreclosure, the car insurance had expired and they had no food in the house. There was no possible means for Manna to dig them out of this deep hole, and she knew that. Still, she called, as others do, to share their story.

What they are seeking is not so much a solution to their problems: they hunger for a sympathetic ear, advise on next steps, what they might expect, what options they have.

We provide a non-judgmental ear, offer them food, direct them to other resources. But mostly we show them we care. Often it's not enough, but it greater than zero...

Significant Storm Damage

It is not usually the likes of a Hurricane Irene that wreak havoc on the lives of those that come to Manna on Main Street; it is the everyday, unexpected events that can pile up and do the most damage.

I think of a woman who called us a few weeks ago. Her husband was ill, their home was in foreclosure, their electric had been shut off, they had no income, no car and no food. For someone with those significant challenges, there would seem to be no hope at all. While we were not able to help with all of their issues, there are some simple things we did do: we provided them with food, made them aware of other resources available, and perhaps most importantly we listened to them.

Sometimes just having someone to talk to, someone you can trust, can offer hope and relief, even in the midst of the most severe storms...

Sowing and Reaping

As we begin to wind down on our summer Vegetable Basket Program, we remind ourselves that the fresh produce we enjoyed over the past seven weeks or so, was because of the hard work that was invested many months ago. The hundreds of pounds of tomatoes, zucchini, cantaloupes, string beans and corn that was given to families in need, was because of the commitment of care made when the ground was empty. We prepare now for another season, anticipating the harvest to come, knowing that same sense of caring is still with us...

Rescuing Chickens

It happened this past Friday and the Friday before. We received a phone call from a random trucker. Seems he had some left-over cases of chicken from a grocery store delivery; he wanted to know if we could pick them up. In both instances, all we had to do was drive to Versacold (the cold storage facility in Hatfield), help unload the truck and bring the goods back to Manna. The haul from both deliveries was nearly 1,000 pounds of top-quality chicken.

To a large food distributor, the amount of food was trivial. It would have been just as simple to throw it in the dumpster. But what we find in the midst of large corporations is that there are caring individuals; people that will go out of their way to help out, to make a difference. We can decry the insensitivity of big business, and all too readily forget that they are made up of decent folks like most of us...