Merik

“What would you tell someone who is thinking about volunteering at MANNA?” I asked before immediately having to yank the phone away from my ear. The scream that had echoed in the background of the conversation was too loud to make out the reply. “Sorry,” she stated, “I’m down the shore with my family this week and that was my grandson.” It was of course no problem, but I was awed to hear that she had taken time out of her family beach vacation to speak with me. It reaffirmed in my mind exactly how dedicated the MANNA volunteer I was speaking to was to the mission.

She had already told me she had been volunteering with the company since before they moved into their current building (which was 5 years ago). In great detail, she had described to me the old building located on Ranstead Street in Philadelphia, “where the volunteers were so packed in you had to excuse yourself every time you needed to move a tray”. She had also recounted the origins of her time as a volunteer at MANNA. As a retired individual living in the area, her and her husband are members of Friends in the City: A community-without-walls for active older adults. Through FITC, MANNA had put out a call for help, and so she and her husband decided to give it a try. She was impressed with the intimate atmosphere and enjoyed both the mission and the people. She felt like the job itself was comforting and appreciated being a part of the whole process. I had asked her if there was anything she found challenging about volunteering with MANNA, and while she wouldn’t necessarily call it challenging, the only thing she could think of was how physical the job is. She explained that, “Being older, and standing on concrete for hours a day, it’s a physical thing. But they want you to have a good experience, so everything is very well organized and regimented. The chefs know what the meals are in advance, they help you when you need to change things out or refill a food item and they don’t have a strict set of requirements. They’re very easy going which makes it a good experience, you take a break when you need to take a break and other than that we just have to scoop the food, package it and stack it all up!.”

With the theme of challenges in mind, she had also told me about frustrations she experienced outside of the building with the lack of awareness the community has about MANNA. She had expressed to me how disappointed she felt every time she’d go to a doctor’s appointment and both the doctor and other medical personnel would have no idea about what MANNA was, therefore, they’re unable to recommend the program to patients. To combat this, she started to carry brochures in her pockets, “Both for the doctors that have never heard of the program and for people that stop us on the street to ask about my shirt or hat that have the MANNA logo on them. I’ve gotten pretty good at boiling the mission down, so I can encourage them to come volunteer, join us at an event or write a check.”

Over the years, she and her husband have helped out in almost every department of MANNA. She’s done loads of special events, like Shut up and Dance! (a fundraising event put on by the Philadelphia Ballet that was held annually before the pandemic), she’s conducted surveys, helped to prepare the food, package the food, deliver the food and almost every other activity you could imagine goes on. The only major interruption to her tenure at MANNA came due to COVID-19. Her and her husband had some health issues, so they had to distance themselves from activities, “But now, coming back, it’s like changing schools. There’s new chefs and personnel and volunteers so we’re starting to get acclimated again. Last week was the first week we were back and it was actually seamless. The staff knows that they can’t expect 100% all the time from volunteers, but they don’t make you feel bad. They embrace you and give you lots of hugs. No one said to me ‘Where have you been?’ They’re just excited to see us again.” Some of her favorite memories though, revolved around thanksgiving time or “Pie Season” as she called it. I gathered from her description that during pie season, the feeling of family is almost palpable in the kitchen of MANNA. “The same families come back year after year making it almost like a reunion, and you get to see the kids grow up. You also get to deliver hot meals to clients and the gratitude in their eyes- there’s nothing like it.”

I had also asked if she would be able to name what specifically it was that kept her coming back through the years. Her answer was immediate, “The camaraderie. I’ve made friends with both employees and volunteers. Which hats off to the employees, there’s so few of them and they’re doing the impossible some days when shifts are light. Especially with covid, the employees have been in the kitchen everyday for 2 years. It’s a non-profit so you know they aren’t there for the money. But the friends we’ve made, we email, text and everything. Unfortunately, some have left for whatever reason, relocation, moving on, but it’s really nice to have that sense of community. To make friends who also enjoy spending their time giving back to others… there’s a certain mindset and it’s just wonderful.”

So what would she tell someone who is thinking about volunteering? “To try it, it’s a wonderful organization. They’ve been here for 30 years and will be here for much longer. It’s not for everyone, I know I’ve brought friends and neighbors who said they’d rather write a check and that’s fine. But I think everyone should give it a chance, try it a couple times because it’s really a great cause full of really great people.”