The Manna Gala

The Manna Gala 2024

The Manna Food Project is excited to announce that the Manna Gala raised over $250,000 for the Food 4 Kids program. Special thanks to the Doll-Loesel Foundation for a $100,000 matching donation and our incredible community members that generously gave to help our neighbors in need.

On average, one in five children in the United States are at risk of hunger. In some of our own communities, that number is much higher. At Charlevoix Elementary School, one in four kids are in need of the backpack program. For the East Jordan Elementary School, 53% of their students receive these weekend meals.

Manna’s Food 4 Kids Backpack Program supplies bags of food to 30 organizations across our Antrim, Charlevoix, and Emmet Counties, including elementary schools, pre-k and head start programs, and public libraries. Backpacks include meals and snacks for over the weekend when kids aren’t getting meals at school. Manna strives to provide kid-friendly, nutritious food that is easy for pre-school and elementary age children to prepare on their own. This ready-to-eat food tends to come at a premium, but Manna is doing everything they can to keep the costs of this program as low as possible without compromising on nutrition. Schools are asking for more backpacks than ever before. At our current delivery rate, Manna will give out over 60,000 backpacks this year, costing nearly $300,000 for this program to keep up with the need.

Help us keep this program available for children faced with food insecurity. Tickets for the gala are now available and we are seeking sponsors for this event. Every sponsorship level provides different marketing avenues for your business or organization. Get your name in front of the thousands of people who receive our e-newsletters, visit our website, and those who will attend the event.