Back From Vacation

A few of Manna's clients were sitting around the table, discussing their summer activities:

• My sister lives in Oregon, so I flew up to see her and the kids. It was great, having the chance to reconnect with family.
• Since my husband left a few years ago, the kids and I have never gotten away, so we spent the last week at the shore. We rented a small condo, went to the beach and got to relax for a change.
• I retired 25 years ago, so to celebrate, my wife and I went to the Virgin Islands.

Obviously, this is absurd. Our clients never really get a vacation or the opportunity to recharge. For them, it is an unending, relentless saga - worrying about food, their health, often wondering if they will have a bed to sleep in for days to come...

32-Love

It would have been easier to just hold a tournament. Instead, the teens from the Upper Gwynedd tennis camp changed it to a food fund raiser for Manna. Sometimes we hear comments about young people doing things only for themselves. At Manna, we find it to be just the opposite...

4,152.3 Pounds of Food

No, that's not what's in the bag (obviously).

4,152.3 pounds of food is what was donated to Manna at this past weekend's community food drive. A part of the credit goes to Dena Fritz (pictured) of The Reporter, who helped promote the drive over the past few weeks with a great article on community needs, as well a some well placed advertising.

As always, the big reason for the success of the drive is the good people in the North Penn area: the community captains that distributed bags throughout their neighborhoods and delivered the bags to Manna, and the wonderful people that donated the goods. What an amazing, giving community we are a part of...

No Parking

Nadja is Manna's case manger - she meets with people that need help, determines whether we can provide any type of aid, and often refers folks to other organizations. At times it can be difficult for people to see her and maneuver around our building. There are steps, narrow hallways and supplies of food stored in random places.

Last week, a client hobbled back to her office. The gentleman sat down, a bit out of breath, and said, "I left my wheelchair outside, do you think anyone will steal it?"

Just another reminder that we need to be vigilant in making Manna a welcoming place for everyone...

Scaring-up Food

Gemalto, a local manufacturing company, came up with an idea last year: start a garden and donate the harvest to Manna on Main Street. They had some open space next to their facility and so a team of employees planned out the garden, planted seeds and tended the plants. Every week, the good folks from Gemalto visit Manna with fresh produce and herbs. Just another example of how folks in our community find ways to give back...

Irregulars

The word irregulars can have a negative connotation to it - it indicates that something is out of synche with the norm. Lately, there have been a lot of irregulars at Manna on Main Street, and that is a good thing. But first, Manna's definition of regulars: volunteers who serve on a regular basis. We love our regulars. They help at the soup kitchen or food cupboard all year long, with some of them coming every week. During the summer time, we offer them the opportunity to take some time off so the "irregulars" can have a chance to serve.

The irregulars are often students that have off for the summer, business teams looking for a service project and families wanting to have a joint activity. More often than not, the irregulars do not have a good handle on all the activities at Manna and things can get a bit chaotic. They don't know where to find the napkins, they're unsure where to put a donation and they are baffled by the some of the requests from our guests. But all of that doesn't mean too much. What really matters is that they are excited about serving and helping others. They bring a new-found energy and passion to the work at hand. Kids that come to help often run back to the kitchen so they can serve the next plate of food. And the adults have as much fun as the young people when they have their chance to sign our walls after they are done serving.

Just like our regulars, we love our irregulars as well...

No Power

This weekend the power went out at Manna. There was momentary confusion as we searched for the main circuit breaker. It took a few tries, but we figured it out and the lights came back on.

Many of the folks that come to Manna for help experience "no power" as well. Except for them, it's not as simple as flipping a switch. They may not have the tools, the knowledge, the patience (the list goes on) to make the necessary adjustment. And so we are here for them, along with many caring neighbors, to help them reset, re-energize and move on with their lives...