ROCK
Excerpt from CN2 NEWS
"ROCK HILL, S.C. (CN2 NEWS) What started as an area church’s food bank has become its own food pantry feeding thousands this year.
Now, as the holidays are rolling around the pantry has reached new highs feeding Rock Hill’s community.
Manna House Pantry began at Mount Prospect Baptist Church and in 2017 became its own non-profit. This past April it moved to its first facility on Cherry Road in Rock Hill.
Manna House Pantry President, Sandra Evans says, “The more they gave them more people needed — so it transformed from a clothing ministry into a full-fledged food pantry ministry.”
Manna house pantry is unique because they allow clients to come through filling up shopping carts like this one with her own groceries — but since the start of COVID-19, now, they have volunteers filling up bags like this one aiming to hit all five food groups. They say in just a span of one year they’ve been able to double donations giving out more than 250 bags a week.
“It has just grown week after week and the longer COVID goes the higher our numbers grow,” says Evans.
The pantry reached its peak this Thanksgiving holiday feeding 315 families providing full turkeys, chickens and more. Volunteers who’ve grown up in Rock Hill say they’ve seen how they pandemic has impacted the community.
Volunteer, Vivian Robinson, says, “Oh a lot of people are out of work and, we, have helped with that need, you know they know that we’re here to help them.”
Manna House Pantry leaders say they depend on donations from food banks like 2nd Harvest and from the community to keep operations going.
Manna House Pantry Vice President, Harold Aubert, says “There is a tremendous amount of money that people put in that will donate from different organizations, different charity groups and we welcome that. And that’s the only way we sustain.”
Leading up to the Christmas holiday leaders say they hope to feed 350 families or more. Noting the importance of food security especially around times for family gatherings.
“This time of year [people are] probably looking at ‘do I buy that extra block of cheese or do I hold onto this money, because I may not be able to pay the rent at the end of the month’. So, food insecurity is very serious and then it’s about the quality of food,” says Evans.
You can help the Manna House Pantry by volunteering or donating funds or food for the holidays. For more information you can check out www.TheMannaHousePantry.org."