MANNA (Metropolitan Area Neighborhood Alliance)

Three meals a day, seven days a week - complete nutrition for each and every one of our clients. MANNA home-delivers more than 1.2 million meals per year to individuals in the greater Philadelphia area. Food is Medicine, and these meals play a key role in helping our clients manage their serious illness.

James* and his family moved to Philadelphia when he was four years old so he could receive a life-saving liver transplant. The transplant was successful, but the medications he now requires leave him susceptible to illness. James' mom knew that he needed enhanced nutrition, and she found MANNA while searching for a program to help her son heal. He looks forward to his weekly delivery of MANNA meals and all the other joys of being a happy, healthy, first grader - "He's just so happy now," his mother says.

Paul* is a retired restaurant manager, proud veteran, and loving husband living with renal disease in Camden, NJ. Fortunately Joe was referred to MANNA during this period of acute illness. Not only does Paul love the MANNA meals, but he believes they are the reason for the big improvements in his bloodwork and the improvements he has felt in his overall health.

Mary's sense of humor has helped her stay positive throughout the years, despite an HIV diagnosis in 2001 and a diabetes diagnosis in 2015. "Some days are easier than others," she says. Mary explains that the best part of the MANNA program is the support of registered dietitians who give her helpful nutrition advice and words of encouragement on tough days. Her health improved and she is able to do what she loves. "I do not let my health conditions slow me down and MANNA has been a major part of that."

*Names have been changed.

MANNA opened its doors in 1990 when seven members of the First Presbyterian Church of Philadelphia began delivering meals to their neighbors dying of AIDS. During this time, people diagnosed with AIDS found themselves incredibly ill, isolated, and in need of hope. MANNA's founders fulfilled this need with nourishment-giving love and community to those who needed it most.

In the 28 years since our founding, MANNA has stayed true to its original mission of providing nourishment to our critically ill neighbors. As our knowledge of utilizing food as medicine deepened, our program evolved to include medically-tailored meals created in our in-house kitchen and professional nutrition counseling. After recognizing the widespread need for our services, MANNA began serving anyone at nutritional risk due to critical illness in 2006. Since then, MANNA has served clients with over 80 different illnesses. In 28 years our program has improved the health and quality of life of more than 26,000 of our Philadelphia area neighbors with more than 14,000,000 medically nourishing meals.