HOLIDAY HANDBOOK
During the holidays, it’s easy to get caught up in the gift-buying frenzy and commercialism of Christmas. So why not give those hard-earned dollars to a local charitable organization that can help needy community members instead of buying your dad another sweater he’ll never wear? Project MANA is one of those organizations. Founded in 1991 by a Sierra Nevada College student armed with a case of donated soup for a school project, the organization grew as a real demand for emergency food became apparent. Today, Project MANA, which stands for Making Adequate Nutrition Accessible, serves the entire Truckee/North Shore region, with a mission to relieve hunger for the homeless, elderly, and homebound, as well as families, children, and single parents in need.
Every week, Project MANA sets up food distribution centers in Tahoe City, Truckee, Kings Beach, and Incline Village, where it hands out a supplemental bag of fresh produce, as well as baked goods and dairy products that it ‘rescues’ from local supermarkets. For people who need more food, Project MANA also offers an emergency bag that contains nonperishables such as rice, beans, canned fruit, and canned tuna. Through a program called FACE (Fresh Alternatives Create Empowerment), the organization also delivers groceries to people who are unable to leave their homes due to age or illness, and advocates on their behalf, helping them refill medication, arrange payment plans with utility companies, or fix a broken door or faucet.
‘Anything we notice, we try to help them with,’ said George LeBard, Project MANA executive director, who will be retiring at the end of January after leading the organization since 1998.
With the economy on the slide, more people have turned to Project MANA than ever before. In fiscal year 2008–09, the nonprofit served 36,000 individuals, a record for the 20-year-old organization. So far this year, Project MANA has helped 29,000 people, up 3,000 from its average.
‘We believe every person has the right to food,’ LeBard said.
So how can you help? Project MANA relies on donations for 30 percent of its budget, so money is always welcome. You can also give food at its Truckee or Incline Village locations. Project MANA sells T-shirts, cookbooks, and a high-altitude garden manual that make for great presents while supporting the organization.
Lastly, the nonprofit could not survive without its 100 volunteers, and is always looking for more. Volunteers are especially needed on Monday and Tuesday afternoons to pack food for its weekly emergency food programs.
You may have plenty to eat this winter, but others don’t. As LeBard says, ‘It [hunger] can happen to anybody.’ So give the most important gift of all this holiday season — the gift of food.
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