Closing on Hunger
Held Annually in October.
Every October, Asheville-area REALTORS® join together on a month-long campaign to help feed thousands of families that face hunger every day across WNC. With each house closing in October, a participating REALTOR® makes a $100 donation to MANNA in honor of their client, in lieu of a traditional closing gift, providing 400meals to our WNC community. Realty firms may match their REALTORS® donation, stretching the impact of the gift even further. Participation in this campaign elevates the REALTOR® within industry by demonstrating appreciation for their client in a way that has a tangible impact in their community.
Hops for Hunger
Year-Round.
Hops for Hunger aligns WNC’s celebrated craft beverage industry with MANNA’s vision of a hunger-free WNC. How are we turning beer into food? Throughout the year, local craft breweries designate a beer or cider to be the Hops for Hunger benefit beverage. For every pour of the designated beverage, the brewery donates $1 to MANNA FoodBank. And MANNA turns that $1 into enough food for four meals for neighbors facing food insecurity. It really is that simple!
Ingles’ Giving Tree
Held Annually in November on the Monday before Thanksgiving.
For over 30 years, Ingles’ Markets has been supporting MANNA’s efforts to address hunger through the Ingles Giving Tree event. This community favorite, started by Bob and Laura Ingle, continues to help provide much-needed food, funding, and awareness at the start of the holiday season. This campaign begins on the Monday before Thanksgiving with a tree lighting ceremony, and continues through the end of the year as a way to raise awareness of the issue of hunger in WNC, a call-to-action for the community to make donations and donate food items, and to celebrate the amazing partnership between MANNA and our local grocery retail partner based right here in WNC.
Outpace Hunger
Year-Round (Self-Directed)
Supporters of MANNA FoodBank are invited to “feed people and their passion” by embarking on an Outpace Hunger challenge! Outpace Hunger participants will (1) choose a favorite activity to complete individually or as a family/group; (2) set a goal (either activity-based or a fundraising goal) to complete throughout the spring and fall; (3) invite friends and family to support their efforts through their own, personalized Outpace Hunger web page. Whether running a 5K in Hendersonville, hiking the Mountain to Sea trail, or paddling the French Broad River, Outpace Hunger participants will get to play a part in ensuring your WNC neighbors facing food insecurity have access to healthy food.
Community Events and Campaigns
Would you like to learn more about how to participate in our community events and campaigns? Are you an individual, group or organization that wants to hold a benefit or fundraising event for MANNA? Please our guidelines HERE and then get in touch with us at events@mannafoodbank.org to get the ball rolling!
Retired Events and Campaigns
Blue Jean Ball
As MANNA’s beloved “party with a purpose” for 20 years, “When is Blue Jean Ball coming back?” is one of the questions we hear most! For so many reasons, Blue Jean Ball went into retirement in 2020. However, we are still dreaming about the day when we might be able to gather 1,000 of our close friends again, and what a CELEBRATION it would be! If you’re reminiscing about Blue Jean Ball, please take a moment to check out the retrospective we put together HERE.
Sweet Dreams, Full Plates
Sweet Dreams, Full Plates was a major collaboration launched in 2017 by local hotels in the Asheville area to engage hotel guests during September’s Hunger Action Month to make an impact with their stay. The campaign raised awareness with visitors about the very real problem of hunger in our community and, from the funds raised over three years, helped MANNA provide over 500,000 meals to neighbors across our mountains. With the changing landscape in operations within the hospitality industry, the campaign is currently in retirement.