Manna Ministries

Manna Food Bank
Founded in 2003, Manna Food Bank is a community-based nonprofit inspired by Matthew 25:40-45: "Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me." This verse guides our work, reminding us that serving those in need is serving Christ Himself. Manna Food Bank rescues surplus food, reduces waste, and provides nutritious meals to families while treating every individual with dignity, respect, and compassion.

Operating six days a week, our volunteers recover food from local grocery stores and transport it to our warehouse. Food is weighed, logged, and sorted—frozen items go to freezers, fresh produce to coolers, and dairy to refrigerators—ensuring safety and quality. Volunteers manage inventory, clean and organize the warehouse, prepare weekly distributions, and responsibly dispose of items no longer safe for consumption, including sending some to local farms for animal feed. Manna Food Bank is run entirely by volunteers, allowing financial resources to focus directly on programs and services.

Each week, 700 families receive 90–100 pounds of food, equivalent to 42,000–46,900 meals weekly. Over a year, this totals approximately 3.3–3.6 million pounds of food and 2.2–2.4 million meals, helping families facing temporary hardship, ongoing financial struggles, or working poverty. Manna does not ask why families need help; we simply serve them with consistency and care.

Beyond weekly distributions, Manna Food Bank runs a variety of programs: our Christmas Basket Program provides 300 families with two weeks of food, a holiday meal, and 2–3 toys per child; the Backpack Program delivers 650 backpacks filled with school supplies; mobile handouts support smaller churches; Operation Stand Down assists veterans; adults with special needs are encouraged to volunteer and gain purpose; seasonal programs include an Easter egg hunt; and we participate in homeless outreach, providing meals and support. These initiatives extend our reach and address both immediate and broader needs in the community.

We serve Sacramento’s and surrounding neighborhoods, where over 18–20% of households live below the poverty line. Families include children, seniors, veterans, working adults, and those with disabilities, all of whom benefit from our consistent, reliable food support. The high level of local food insecurity underscores the critical role Manna Food Bank plays in strengthening families and building a resilient community.

Manna Food Bank partners with grocery stores, churches, and local businesses, whose donations make our work possible. We welcome support in any form—food, financial gifts, volunteer time, or in-kind contributions each directly impacting the families we serve.

Our immediate goal is to sustain operations, ensuring we can continue providing meals to the 700 families who rely on us weekly. With community support, Manna Food Bank will remain a dependable source of nourishment, stability, and hope, serving with dignity, compassion, and consistency.