We love Philly’s unbelievably giving spirit. There are so many organizations doing great work for our community and we wanted to share them with you! We contacted dozens of Philadelphia charities to share their work and the response has been overwhelming and inspiring. We couldn’t be more proud of all the ways Philly gives back.
We will be kicking off our new Philly Cares column by telling you all about the awesome folks at MANNA, a Philly based charity that has had a huge impact on this city. We want to show YOU just how much Philly Cares.
MANNA (Metropolitan Area Neighborhood Nutrition Alliance) was founded in 1990 by seven members of the First Presbyterian Church in Philadelphia with a simple mission in mind; to comfort people suffering from AIDS. When MANNA formed, AIDS was surrounded by ignorance and negative stigma which caused many people with the disease to be shunned from family and friends. Luckily, MANNA was available to provide comfort, support and nutrition to these individuals during their time of need.
Manna has continued to grow since its formation. They now serve clients in 9 counties in Pennsylvania and 4 counties in Southern NJ. They have expanded their outreach in order to assist clients with a wide variety of critical illnesses. MANNA provides 100% of a client’s nutritional needs which includes 3 meals a day, 7 days a week, all home delivered at no charge. MANNA has a staff of 30, hundreds of volunteers, a full commercial kitchen and a fleet of trucks that provide over 65,000 monthly meals to those who battle serious illness.
The founders, staff and volunteers at MANNA believe that food is medicine and that it is a right to everyone facing a life-threatening illness to have access to medically appropriate meals. It’s clear that they are doing a great job accomplishing and expanding upon their mission. Their “food as medicine” model is receiving a lot of attention from the medical community, showing that MANNA clients require less expensive medical care and shorter periods of hospitalization. Way to go MANNA!
Speaking with the passionate team at MANNA revealed their loving nature and true commitment to improving the lives of their clients. They feel that the people they work with and provide for are family. This is clearly reflected in the way they excitedly share success stories and talk about their dedication to health, nutrition and bettering the lives of their client family.
MANNA is a true example of the loving, caring and giving soul of this city and we couldn’t be more impressed or inspired by their fantastic work. Thank you for everything you do!
