MANNA

This coming Tuesday is Election Day! MANNA will be closed to allow all staff, clients, and volunteers plenty of time to vote. We encourage everyone to vote if they are able!

Happy Halloween! Whether you're dressing up, eating candy, watching scary movies, or just enjoying the festivities, we hope you have a spook-tacular Halloween! 🎃👻🍬💛💙 Who's your favorite staff costume? Let us know in the comments!

Yesterday I attended the Food is Medicine Policy Updated presented by The Healthcare Innovation Company (thINc), FoodMed Certified & Validation Institute in Washington, DC. We heard updates from both the public and private sector and what they have been up to in the two years since the The White House's Conference on #HungerNutritionandHealth. Huge progress has been made in addressing #foodinsecurity in the US and implementing #FoodisMedicine interventions, but there is still much more to be done. Much of the work thus far has been focused on prevention and symptom-management interventions for large portions of the population. This is necessary to set us up for a healthier future with #foodsecurity for all. However, I would like to see more of a focus on #treatment for people suffering from chronic conditions TODAY. Interventions such as #MedicallyTailoredMeals for those living with #DietImpactedDiseases and #AcuteNutritionalRisk can not only improve quality of life, but also help to reduce healthcare utilization and spending. These programs are intended for a small subset of the population, with or without food insecurity, that account for the greatest amount of healthcare spending. The question still remains - why do we continue to cover the high cost of drugs for treatment, but will not cover the cost of food as treatment? MANNA

Today we’re celebrating #NationalFoodDay ! Food is medicine, and at MANNA, we know that firsthand 🍎 MANNA first opened its doors in 1990 when 7 members of the First Presbyterian Church of Philadelphia began delivering meals to their neighbors dying of AIDS. In the over 34 years since our founding, MANNA has stayed true to its original mission of providing nourishment to our critically ill neighbors, and has since served over 23 million meals to clients across Philadelphia, the surrounding suburbs, and parts of South Jersey. Happy National Food Day everyone! 💙

On Wednesday, October 16th, we officially launched MANNA's 30th Pie in the Sky Fundraiser at Lincoln Financial Field!🎉 Emceed by CBS3 Eyewitness News anchor and pie seller extraordinaire Jim Donovan, we celebrated the day with city representatives, local businesses, sponsors, and the incredible MANNA team and supporters. We were honored to be joined by Deputy City Representative, Kyra Harris, MS on behalf of Mayor Cherelle Parker to proclaim the day as MANNA Pie Day 2024 in Philadelphia! Thank you to everyone who participated and contributed to this incredible kick-off!🥧❤️ #MANNAPieDay #PieInTheSky #30YearsStrong Thank you to our amazing sponsors: Novick Corporation, American Airlines, ParetoHealth, Hamilton Lane, GIANT, Instacart and The Honickman Foundation. Special shout out to our Pie partners Giordano Garden Groceries, New June Bakery and Soom!! ✨💙 This holiday season, help us nourish our neighbors—one pie at a time! Head to mannapies.org and place your orders today.

Happy Fall! A classic symbol of fall is the pumpkin, whether carved into a Jack-o-lantern 🎃 or baked into a pie (our favorite option🥧). Pumpkin is a delicious and nutritious in-season option for sweet and savory fall dishes! Swipe through to learn about the helpful fiber, vitamins and minerals that pumpkins provide.

MANNA will be closed on Monday in honor of Indigenous People's Day. We'll be back on Tuesday October 15, excited to make more medically tailored meals for our neighbors! 🌽 🥔 🥦

THANK YOU to everyone who celebrated with us last Thursday at our 4th annual Main Course event!✨ The night was filled with incredible eats from some of the best chefs in the city, including a show-stopping entrée prepared by Amanda Shulman of Her Place Supper Club and Alex Kemp of My Loup; a dazzling performance from Philly’s Most Beloved Drag Queen and longtime friend of MANNA, Martha Graham Cracker ; an exciting auction led by Alasdair Nichol; a delectable spread of desserts; and the most overwhelming displays of generosity in support of our mission. Together, we raised more than $480,000 to support our work of providing medically tailored meals to those with critical illnesses!! Thank you to our wonderful sponsors: The Andréa W. and Kenneth C. Frazier Family Foundation; Cescaphe; Jon Alchin and Hal Marryatt; Steve Korman and Linda Richardson Korman; Hamilton Lane; JPMorganChase; ChatterBlast Media; Jefferson Health; Allan Schimmel; 20/20 Visual Media; Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine; The Raymond Klein Charitable Foundation; Bank of America; Independence Blue Cross; The Haverford Trust Company; Camden Apothecary; The Lupinetti Family and HealthShare Exchange; Stradley Ronon; Independence Foundation; Bob Courey & Tom Keebler; Jaime Pludo; William R. Levy; PA Health & Wellness; Fiduciary Trust International; Ted Dallas; Julia Fleischner and David Fleischner; Novick Corporation; Driscoll Foods; Tito's Handmade Vodka; Sue Daugherty, RD, LDN and Megan Paszko; Megan Kennedy, CPA, MBA; Jack Rosenberg and Alexis Caris; Henry Fader; Giordano Garden Groceries; Sysco; Community College of Philadelphia; Philadelphia Phillies; Moore Brothers Wine Company; and Habitat Coffee Roasters! Special thanks to all who made this night possible, including: Event Co-Chairs Jimmy Contreras and Marisa Magnatta; Host and emcee Vittoria Woodill; Chef Co-Chairs Amanda Shulman and Alex Kemp; and of course, we can’t forget all the wonderful the participating restaurants, chefs and vendors. We can't wait for next year!

Last week, we had the honor of sponsoring and attending MANNA's 4th annual Main Course event, an absolute *chef's kiss* of an evening full of food from some of Philadelphia's most extraordinary chefs. Thank you to our clients and friends who joined us to support MANNA's critical mission of delivering nourishing meals to neighbors battling serious illnesses, and thank you to our creative team for their hard work developing a welcome video that was played for all attendees to kick off the evening. Congratulations to the entire MANNA team on a wonderful event, and a special shout out goes to our own Stephen Tornetta for his service as a member of the Main Course event committee! 🍴

JPMorganChase proudly supported MANNA’s 2024 Main Course Event. The evening celebrated the best in Philadelphia’s culinary scene with incredible Chefs leading the charge, Amanda Shulman and Alex Kemp. Delicious food, fantastic entertainment by Martha Graham Cracker, and fundraising for MANNA. MANNA has delivered over 23 Million medically tailored meals to our neighbors battling critical illnesses for 34 years. It was an honor to serve as Co-Chair of this year’s event with my friend Marisa Magnatta and committed Main Course Committee. We did it! #givingback #foodismedicine #philadelphia #manna #jpmorganchase