Today, Manna House continues to rely on volunteers and donations to keep the ministry going. It gets no financial assistance from the federal, state, or local government, or from any particular church, diocese, or organization.
Hot, balanced, nutritious meals are served every day to anyone who walks in the door – no questions asked. There are no forms to fill out, no need for an ID, or even to sign in – just pick up a plate and go through the line.
Feeding several hundred people daily, 365 days a year requires an army of dedicated volunteers to collect the food, prepare and cook the food, and wash dishes and clean up. It takes 10-15 volunteers every day (including weekends and holidays), 3-6 hours to transform donated food items into hot, delicious meals for the poor and hungry in our community.
“We are also fortunate to have two outstanding cooks, who are not only expert chefs, but have the knack of making the best use of foods available and without waste,” said Fr. Foley. “We don’t waste anything around here.”
Most of the volunteers at the Manna House can be catagorized into two groups: a core group of regular volunteers and transient volunteers who come and go. The transient group includes students or youth groups, who volunteer to fulfill school or organization requirements. In other cases, adults, with a little extra time on their hands, come to help out temporarily.
The core group consists of those regular volunteers who come on a particular day or days, every week, all year long. The core group includes people of all ages, all walks of life, and from many different area churches. The core group of volunteers is the backbone of the Manna House.
