Organization Spotlight: Manna Food Center

Last Wednesday, I volunteered at a wonderful nonprofit organization in Montgomery County. The Manna Food Center strives to eliminate hunger through food distribution, education, and advocacy. On Wednesday, Manna focused its volunteers on preparing Thanksgiving food packages for over 400 families.

The organization's Food for Families program feeds approximately 3,300 Montgomery County families each month. Through Manna's Agency Food Distribution program, the organization also provides food to dozens of agencies including soup kitchens, food pantries, group homes, and emergency shelters. For the past 5 years, the organization has focused on the healthy eating habits of children through its Smart Sacks initiative which partners Manna, businesses, and elementary schools to provide children with backpacks full of kid-friendly foods every Friday so they have food on the weekends when there are no school meals to sustain them.

This is a great nonprofit to volunteer with; the staff is friendly and the work is fun. Moreover, there is a desperate need for volunteers as food distribution centers have become swamped by demand. Food insecurity is on the rise due to the economy, and food distribution centers are seeing a huge increase in those that they serve as a new demographic of society becomes eligible for assistance. Over 50 million Americans are considered to be "food insecure", and a recent survey from the Food Research and Action Center found that almost one in five Americans struggled to afford food for themselves and their families over the past year.

Food Banks Swamped by Demand, Washington Post

Downtown@700-2nd

Downtown@700-2^nd recently had its grand opening in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The development, a 72-unit $13 million green affordable rental community, is home to formerly homeless persons, those with special needs, retirees and low-wage workers, as well as market-rate residents.

Opened in March and now 90 percent full, Downtown@700-2nd provides fully-furnished units to residents, and has a cafe, community garden and on-site space for service providers. The property is pedestrian friendly with links to bike routes, buses and the Rail Runner commuter train. Government offices, public library, restaurants, shops, services and several of Albuquerque's largest employers are within walking distance.

The Supportive Housing Coalition of New Mexico (SHCNM) is the state-wide non-profit organization that developed and owns Downtown@700-2^nd. SHCNM’s mission is to prevent and reduce homelessness and to increase the quality of life for people with behavioral health issues in New Mexico by creating affordable, supportive housing in partnership with local communities and member agencies.

The City of Albuquerque donated the land for this site and was funded through the Workforce Housing Trust Fund, the Mortgage Finance Authority Board, and Enterprise Community Partners among others.

By partnering with other public and private actors, SHCNM was able to give the city of Albuquerque a great project for its citizens. Downtown@700-2^nd would have been an impossible undertaking for a lone non-profit organization. Having a community-based non-profit organization spearhead this effort, made it possible for the community to rally around an innovative, and somewhat controversial project. Through creative financing and alliance building, SHCNM was able to make their dream a reality.

Press Release