Forty percent of all food in the United States goes to waste! It’s not that there isn’t enough food produced, it’s just not always in the right place at the right time or not quite good enough for a high-end market to sell.
Some food has slight imperfections, is perfect but too small or too large, or is perfect but surplus. Many times a farmer will plow produce under or feed it to their animals if it can’t be sold.
Perfectly good food at the grocery store that is near it’s “best by date” is often thrown away. Volunteer drivers from Celestial Manna routinely go to farms and grocery stores to pick up food that would otherwise be discarded. Some food is then delivered directly to families in need; some is delivered to church and community food pantries; some is delivered to food banks such as Montgomery County’s Manna Food Center and Nourish Now.
Celestial Manna has around 175 volunteer drivers who move 5 million pounds of food a year from farms and grocery stores to places where it can be used to feed the hungry. On top of their volunteer time, they generally use their own cars and pay for their own gas.
Celestial Manna would not have survived over 30 years without their dedicated crew of volunteer drivers.
About Celestial Manna
Celestial Manna is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit established in 1987. Their primary mission is to feed the hungry by providing them with free food which is locally donated. They give weekly support to more than 10,000 people in the Washington, DC metropolitan region stretching from north of Baltimore through Prince George’s and Montgomery Counties Maryland, and south to northern Virginia. Celestial Manna tries to help people from all walks of life; these individuals range from blue-collar workers, low-income families, single-parent households and diverse ethnicities. Hunger is not the only challenge these people face. In addition to a network of food redistribution, Celestial Manna provides support to people in need of clothing, furniture, toys, and household goods.
For more information, visit http://www.CelestialManna.org or call (240) 350-1456. Combined Federal Campaign (CFC) number 76440. GuideStar Platinum Seal of Transparency, EIN number 01-0588746.
David Robert Lambert 
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