The Manna Food Bank is again under pressure to provide food for an unexpectedly large increase in need in Montgomery County. The Vedanta Center is conducting a food drive to assist in meeting the local needs, through the Manna Food Center of Gaithersburg, MD. We hope our members and friends can participate by bringing non-perishable food items to the Vedanta Center. The Manna Food Center was founded in 1983, and strives to end hunger in Montgomery County through education, advocacy, and food distribution. Since its founding, Manna has distributed more than 33 million pounds of food to more than 2.1 million individuals in the community.
Food items most often needed at Manna:
- Peanut Butter
- Tuna Fish
- Canned Fruits & Vegetables
- Shelf-Stable Milk
- Cereal
- Oatmeal
- Rice
- Pasta
- Beans
- Canned Tomato Sauce
- Macaroni and Cheese
- Soup
- Baby Food
- Other canned meat and fish
- Canned pasta
Manna has a “Smart Sacks” program for kids, for which they need smaller, “kid-friendly” food including the following:
- Peanut Butter in 18oz jars or smaller
- Small Fruit Cans/Cups
- Individual Applesauce Cups
- Juice Boxes that are 100% juice
- Easy Mac
- Macaroni and Cheese
- Microwavable Bowls of Pasta
- Canned Pasta
- Individual Cereal Boxes
- Oatmeal Packets
- Tuna Fish
- Crackers packaged in a sleeve, like Ritz or Saltines
- Pudding Cups
- Nutritious Cereal Bars
- Individual Raisin Boxes or Other Dried Fruit
- Small packages of peanuts
- Microwavable Containers of Soup
- Granola Bars
- Cereal Bars
- Kid-Friendly Cans of Soup – Chicken Noodle, Tomato, Alphabet, Etc.