Manna Food Pantry partnership helps to address food insecurity in Worthington area

Claudia Williams, The Globe, The Daily Globe, Worthington, Minn.
·1 min read

Jul. 11—WORTHINGTON — The Manna Food Pantry in Worthington has partnered with Open Your Heart To The Hungry And Homeless, and Hunger Solutions, to help with food insecurity in Worthington.

Linda Sanchez, director, noted a 60% increase in usage during June alone, with 70 families and 277 people coming in. It's the biggest increase recorded in a decade.

Open Your Heart To The Hungry and Homeless assists local food banks with the growing battle of food insecurity. They do this by keeping pantries like Manna Food Pantry afloat financially. However, donations are still encouraged because of the need, which has skyrocketed since 2021, when the COVID-19 pandemic ended.

Sanchez reminds people to donate food that is in date, and said that canned goods and unsweetened cereals are appreciated. The food shelf tries to keep junk food off the shelves and carry only items with nutritional value. Donations of local produce from gardens is highly encouraged as well.

If you can't donate food, cash donations are always an option. Donors may either bring it in physically or mail a donation to Manna Food Pantry.

"Our community has supported us tremendously, we can't say thanks enough for the community," said Sanchez, noting the Manna Food Pantry is purely run by volunteers helping out. They are always looking for more volunteers too.

The Manna Food Pantry encourages anyone who needs assistance to come in and ask for help when they need it. The pantry has food from multiple cultures and for people of all ages.