July 2026: A Note from Our CEO, Claire Neal

A Note from Claire

Dear friend of MANNA, 

For more than 20 years, MANNA has used a meals-per-dollar metric to help describe the impact of a financial gift. It has been a simple way to show how generosity becomes food on the table for those in need across Western North Carolina, and we are updating that calculation to better reflect the reality of hunger relief in this moment. 

Today, a $10 gift to MANNA helps provide 16 meals to our neighbors in need. 

This change does not mean our mission has changed. It means our calculations are aligning with the world we are operating in now. 

The need across our region has reached historic levels. Before COVID, our network averaged 65,000+ monthly visits. Before Hurricane Helene, that number had grown to 158,000. Today, neighbors are making more than 220,000 visits each month across MANNA’s food distribution network. 

At the same time, the way food moves into and through MANNA has changed. Food donations and food support from retail partners, federal sources, community partners, individuals, and food drives are down, and MANNA is purchasing significantly more food to keep nutritious food moving through our partner network.  

Over the past two years, food donations and food support from these sources decreased by 24%, while MANNA’s purchased food pounds increased by 156% and food purchasing dollars increased by 142%. The reduction in federal food support is especially significant, deepening the gap between available food resources and the growing number of neighbors turning to MANNA’s network for help. 

Hurricane Helene intensified many of these challenges. The storm affected MANNA’s operations, but it also affected community infrastructure, farms, retailers, roads, and supply chains across the region. Some of the partners who help make food donations possible had less capacity to donate at the same time more neighbors were turning to MANNA’s network for help. 

This kind of purchasing is not just a response to need. It is also an investment in our region. When MANNA purchases food from local and regional farms and food producers, we help keep nutritious food moving to neighbors while also supporting the people and communities who grow and produce it. 

Today, your support remains incredibly essential. A $10 gift helping provide 16 meals is a powerful impact because, as good stewards of your generosity, MANNA continues to negotiate wholesale purchasing power, deepen our food sourcing relationships, increase volunteer support, build capacity through our partner agency network, and lead an efficient, regional distribution system. This allows us to maximize every dollar raised, in spite of rising costs. 

We are sharing this update because transparency matters. You deserve an accurate picture of what it takes to meet hunger in Western North Carolina today, and you also deserve to know that your support continues to make a meaningful difference. 

Thank you for standing with MANNA and with our neighbors. Together, we are providing more food and resources to our communities than ever before—and helping build a more resilient future for our region. 

Claire Neal
Chief Executive Officer
MANNA FoodBank

MANNA FoodBank Selected for the 2026 Birdies for Charity Program 

The PGA Tour is returning to Asheville, and MANNA is excited to take part! MANNA FoodBank has been selected to participate in the 2026 FedEx Cup Biltmore Championship Birdies for Charity program  

“As our region continues to heal,” explains Ramon Rodriguez, a MANNA Board Member, “opportunities to team up strategically with national partners like the PGA tour provide immediate benefit and support to our community.” 

Birdies for Charity is a community giving initiative that allows supporters to make a meaningful impact on local nonprofits while celebrating one of Western North Carolina’s premier professional golf tournaments. Donors and golf enthusiasts alike are invited to contribute a donation to MANNA’s Birdies for Charity campaign page. Donations will feed our neighbors and give donors a chance to win a stay at the historic Biltmore Estate. MANNA receives 100% of every dollar donated, and our organization will have a chance to be featured when the tour returns to Asheville this September 17 – 20. 

With food insecurity continuing at historic levels throughout our region, participation in programs like Birdies for Charity provides another meaningful way for our community to stand with MANNA and ensure nutritious food reaches families, children, seniors, and veterans who need it most. 

We invite you to join us by making a gift through our Birdies for Charity campaign and helping us drive even greater impact across Western North Carolina. 

 Learn more and support MANNA’s campaign by visiting here. 

Table for Three Winner

We are excited to announce that we have a winner for this year’s Table for Three Raffle. James (Alex) Long is our 2026 Grand Prize Winner — congratulations, Alex!

Please take a minute to check out the fun we had drawing the winner and hear about what’s new in Biltmore Village’s recovery with our longtime friend Joe Scully, Co-Owner and Head Chef at Corner Kitchen and Chestnut.

Thanks to the collective generosity of our 52 Restaurant Partners that donated gift cards and the hundreds of supporters that purchased tickets, MANNA will be able to provide the equivalent of 68,000+ meals to the neighbors we serve in Western North Carolina. At a time when the need for food across our mountains is so great, we want to express our sincere gratitude to each of you for making this year a success!

Construction Update

The upfitting construction of MANNA FoodBank’s new home in Mills River, NC represents a major milestone in our region’s disaster recovery from Hurricane Helene, as well as a symbol of our long-term investment in the future of serving our neighbors in Western North Carolina.

“MANNA is building more than a larger facility. We are creating room for volunteers, community connection, and the kind of shared service that has defined our work since 1983—a place woven into the lives of families across the region, where children who once volunteered with MANNA now return as parents, bringing their own kids to help carry the vision of a hunger-free WNC forward.” Claire Neal, CEO

Currently, we sit in Phase 3 of a four phase timeline. This phase includes roofing, drying in the building, sheetrock, interior finishes, casework, bathrooms, breakrooms, flooring, storefront elements, and exterior facade work. This phase also includes solar panel work that will help reduce operating costs and strengthen the long-term sustainability of the campus, allowing more resources to stay focused on MANNA’s mission.

Get a deeper look into the four phases of construction with this one-pager.

Support MANNA’s Mission Through Dance