MANNA FoodBank recently announced a $50,000 grant from the Morgan Stanley Foundation to expand its MANNA Packs for Kids Program, which helps to ensure students continue to receive nutritious food during school breaks.
In Western North Carolina, one in four children experiences food insecurity—a rate higher than the national average.
“We are thrilled to receive this important grant from the Morgan Stanley Foundation in support of our efforts to deliver more nutritious meals to children and families in Asheville,” says Hannah Randall, Chief Executive Officer of MANNA. “Morgan Stanley and its employees provide vital support for MANNA by generous contributions like this and spend many hours volunteering in our warehouses.”
The need for this funding is more important than ever. “We continue to seek the yearly funding to simply sustain the backpack program,” Randall explains. “Thanks to this vital grant, for the first time in a long while, MANNA will be able to actually expand the backpack program to reach more children, providing packs to 384 more children every week.” This funding expansion means MANNA can provide weekly food support to 5,050 children across WNC.
“We are honored to be able to help MANNA FoodBank in its important fight against child hunger,” says Morgan Stanley Branch Manager David Wilhelm. “Our employees volunteer regularly with MANNA so we are delighted to extend our support through this grant and provide even more children with the foods they need to learn, grow and thrive.”
“Grants like this from Morgan Stanley make a vital difference in our efforts to provide children with the nutritious meals they need every day,” says Andy Wilson, Chief Development Officer at Feeding America. “More than 13 million children in the United States live at risk of hunger. Together, we can solve hunger and ensure that children have the fuel they need to grow healthy and strong.”
The Foundation awarded a total of $750,000 in grants this month to food banks across the country. Through its partnership with Feeding America, a nationwide network of 200 food banks, the Foundation has given more than $21 million to help launch, expand and sustain critical childhood feeding programs.