Manna: More Volunteer Hours Equals More Appreciation

For some charitable organizations, their work is only as good as the volunteers who donate their skills, time and effort. Manna Food Center in Gaithersburg is no exception.

On May 24, Manna held an appreciation day for their volunteers who dedicate thousands of hours to help eliminate hunger in Montgomery County by distributing food and educating thousands of those in need.

The MFC only has 16 paid employees, so they rely heavily on their volunteers. Last year MFC volunteers logged 34,000 hours and with two months remaining in this fiscal year they have already surpassed that total.

The MFC has two programs to help those who need it in Montgomery County in addition to donating food to other agencies such as group homes and soup kitchens. Families for Food provides a three-to-five day supply of food that families can pick up once every 30 days; and Smart Snacks, a program that gives students in need of nourishment a backpack filled with food to get them through the weekend.

“Of the 150,000 residents we help, over half of them are children and some of those are infants,” said Manna's Executive Director Kim Damion.

Julie Hearthly has worked for the MFC for just about a year. Her co-volunteers say that there is not a job that she hasn’t tried out yet, but she is partial to one duty.

“My favorite part of volunteering would be the Smart Snacks. Kids are important to me,” said Hearthly. “I come in every Friday and help pack up the backpacks.”

Those backpacks are given to 1,600 kids throughout the county.

Although it seems as if the economy is beginning to get better there is evidence to prove otherwise.

“Our numbers escalated in 2008 and have continued to remain high. In fact, in 2011 [MFC] will serve more than any other year. The facts our very clear to us that the recession is not over and is still affecting many in our local communities,” said Damion.

The MFC offered eight different games for the volunteers to play relating to the tasks performed around the center with a twist, including a time trial to see how fast one could stack cans, a memory game, and a word scramble.

In addition to games, prizes, and a banquet for the volunteers but was also used for other purposes.

“We always use every opportunity to raise awareness. A lot of times folks are limited with their relationship with us and may not understand there are a lot of other opportunities to help,” Damion said.

More information is available on the MFC website.