BLAINE, Minn. – (Dec. 18, 2015) – Everyday in the United States 263 million pounds of food is thrown away. The USDA reports that 27% of all food produced each year never reaches a plate. Some studies have put that number closer to 40%. Yet, one out of every six Americans experience food insecurity at some point every year. Forrest Gregory, founder of the Manna Market has been working since 2008 to change habits of big box retailers and meet the needs of his neighbors. Picking up food from several area grocery stores after it has been pulled from the shelves, “and then we make that food available to anyone who wants it, so it’s food that back in 2008 when we started the Manna Market program used to get thrown away” said Gregory.
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In the last seven years the Manna Market has grown faster than Forrest could have ever imagined. “Every week it serves about 4,000 people. We recover enough food to create about 65,000 meals every week” said Gregory.
Good Shepherd Covenant Church in Blaine has been a Manna Market site for 5 years. The small church with a weekly congregation of about 60 people has twice that many volunteers serving the Manna Market guests on Friday nights. “We are a small church doing a big thing” said site coordinator Bonnie Randall.
In five years 2.8 million pounds of recovered food has been given away at Good Shepherd. Their average Friday night distribution sees more than 200 households come through the market. Bonnie knows that the Manna Market has been an eye opening experience for many of the volunteers, showing that there is a real need right here in their community. “I guess I didn’t realize how many people would need” said Randall.
Both Forrest and Bonnie have numerous stories about the impact the Manna Market has made in the lives of their neighbors. Bonnie remembers a moment a few years ago that has left a lasting impact on her. “One guy came in and he didn’t realize we were going to serve a meal…he said ‘this is really cool I didn’t know what I was going to feed my kids tonight’…you are just speechless, it is nothing I can fathom.”
There are still underserved portions of Anoka County. In order to give more people a chance to take advantage of the Manna Market, Forrest will soon be launching a mobile market in addition to the eight permanent sites. “We are targeting rural areas that don’t have brick and mortar food shelves.”
Forrest is putting no limitations or expectations on the future of the Manna Market and states that he is open to anything. He never thought it would grow like it has and word is spreading far and wide about its impact. “We have been contacted by people from literally all over the country…they heard through the grapevine about what we are doing and it kind of boggles my mind that the Manna Market program has gone out that far.”
With more exposure Forrest is hoping that people recognize the importance of being good stewards of our resources. “Hopefully we get to the point where we are not the best kept secret in Anoka County anymore.”
Bonnie after five years of hosting a Manna Market can not imagine not her community without this service. “How do you not have something like this available to people.”
