In these late winter months, fresh fruits and vegetables are hard to come by, especially with the increased cost of groceries we are all seeing. For our neighbors who are struggling to afford groceries, fresh produce is vital for health and wellbeing, but can feel like an out-of-reach luxury. MANNA FoodBank is committed to providing all families with healthy plates of nutritiously dense fresh food, all year round, all across these mountains.
To help MANNA meet this challenge of limited access to fresh produce in the winter months, we are pleased to announce our first virtual Fresh Food Drive. You can make a direct impact in the health of Western North Carolina families by helping MANNA purchase fresh fruits and vegetables, and create those healthy, colorful plates that everyone deserves.
And, thanks to an extremely generous matching gift challenge from the Rakay Family Foundation, your support of the Fresh Food Drive will be matched dollar-for-dollar, up to $100,000, from March 1st through April 1st! MANNA is deeply grateful to the Rakay Family Foundation for this very special gift matching opportunity to provide nutritious foods to the people we serve across WNC.
“Regardless of economic status, everyone deserves access to healthy foods, and healthy eating benefits the entire community, as our neighbors enjoy improved health outcomes,” said Bruce Rakay of the Rakay Family Foundation. “The Rakay Family is honored in helping to achieve this goal.”
This matching gift will help nourish families in need with a colorful bounty of fresh fruits and vegetables on their plate, and will enable MANNA to meet the challenges of limited access to local, fresh produce in the winter months and the increased costs of sourcing outside of the region.
Thank you for sharing in our commitment to providing healthy, balanced plates of food to our neighbors in need through MANNA’s Fresh Food Drive.
