A new month, a new nonprofit to highlight in our Cents of Community program. We reserved July, our highest dollars sales month, for the Manna Food Project.
We caught up with Manna’s Executive Director, Carrie Klinglesmith, who gave us a tour of the facility and shared with us the many ways that the Manna Food Project is serving its communities.
How They Started
The Manna Food Project began 40 years ago when five friends who met weekly for coffee recognized a growing need in the community: people were hungry. They started by serving soup and sandwiches, then expanded into food rescue efforts, which eventually evolved into a food pantry. Today, Manna is an affiliate food bank of Feeding America West Michigan, partnering with 90 organizations to help feed neighbors throughout Northern Michigan.
Who They Serve
Manna serves a diverse population, and every day they hear different stories about what brings people through their doors. They serve seniors on fixed incomes, single parents, grandparents raising grandchildren, and hardworking families who, despite having two incomes, simply can’t keep up with today’s rising cost of living.
Carrie describes Manna’s pantries as a way for people in our community to “take a breath” and ease some of the financial burden. With help putting food on the table, families can stretch their budgets to cover other essential household expenses.
She says one thing they hear again and again is gratitude from the people they serve.
Manna’s Pantry
In addition to serving as a food bank, Manna operates its own pantry every Tuesday and every other Thursday. Before COVID, guests came inside, took a number, and shopped the pantry themselves. During the pandemic, Manna shifted to a drive-through model and continues to operate that way today.
Guests fill out a form with the foods they’d like to receive, volunteers shop their order, and everything is delivered directly to their vehicle. Additional items are also available outside for guests to choose from.
The amount of food each household receives is based on family size. Carrie noted that Manna serves many multigenerational households and that the rising cost of living has made it increasingly difficult for many families to make ends meet. From 2021 to 2024, Manna saw a 67% increase in the number of people seeking assistance. Between 2024 and 2025, pantry visits increased by 50,000. When we spoke with Manna in late May, they had already spent $100,000 more on food than they had at the same point the previous year.
Out in the Community
On the Thursdays when the pantry isn’t open, Manna takes food into the community through its mobile pantry program. On the first and third Thursdays of each month, the mobile pantry serves guests at the Bliss Township Fire Hall.
Manna also discovered that many of the people they serve don’t have reliable transportation. In response, they began delivering food directly to apartment complexes in and around Petoskey that are home to many residents living on disability or fixed incomes. Carrie shared that people often wait in the hallway for their arrival—and hugs are not uncommon.
Another new program launched this year is a bank of temperature-controlled food lockers outside Manna’s warehouse. Guests place their order through an app, volunteers pack it, and once the locker is loaded, the guest receives a text message with a PIN to retrieve their groceries. The goal is to make food available whenever it’s needed by expanding access beyond regular pantry hours.
Whether through mobile pantries, home deliveries, or innovative new programs, Manna continually looks for ways to fill gaps in service. They’re equally committed to connecting people with other community resources that can provide support beyond food assistance.
What They Offer
As we toured Manna’s warehouse, we got a firsthand look at how their operation works. Their freezers and refrigerators are stocked with frozen vegetables, meat, dairy, and other nutritious foods. Carrie shared that their refrigeration units are always bursting at the seams—and that they could easily use 10 more.
Food rescue is another important part of Manna’s work. They collect surplus food from both small and large grocery retailers, including Grain Train, where Manna volunteers stop by several times each week for rescue pickups. During our visit, their coolers even held butter from a recent food rescue—a product they don’t often receive.
Manna is also part of the Michigan Food Bank Council, which gives them access to food purchased through their affiliation with Feeding America. This buying power allows Manna to stretch every dollar while helping supply the 42 partner pantries they serve. When Manna receives food at no cost, whether through Feeding America or food rescue, they’re able to pass those savings along to their partner pantries as well.
Backpack Program
Another important program Manna provides is its Food 4 Kids Backpack Program. Each week, volunteers fill Meijer bags with three to four meals and snacks to help children have enough to eat over the weekend.
The program serves all 38 elementary schools in Emmet, Charlevoix, and Antrim counties. Each school has a site coordinator who lets Manna know how many bags are needed each week. Last year alone, Manna distributed 65,000 backpacks.
One feature Manna is especially proud of is that the program is completely nut-free. Thanks to generous donations and sponsorships, they are also able to include fresh fruit in every backpack, along with educational materials and coloring books that encourage healthy eating.
How Can You Help?
Throughout July, you can support the Manna Food Project by rounding up your purchase at the register when you shop at Grain Train. One hundred percent of every donation made through our Cents of Community program goes directly to that month’s featured nonprofit.
Financial gifts make an especially meaningful impact. Manna has approximately five times the purchasing power of a retail grocery store, allowing every donated dollar to go much further. While they gratefully accept all types of donations, monetary contributions help them provide the greatest amount of healthy food to our community. You can also support Manna by making a donation directly through their website.
Thank you, Manna Food Project, for being a force for good in our community. And thank you to the five friends who saw a need 40 years ago and chose to do something about it. We can’t wait to see what our Grain Train community accomplishes together this July as we help ensure our neighbors have access to the food they need.
Until next time, keep cooperating and we’ll see you at the stores.
