Manna-The Durango Soup Kitchen

Community Kitchen Program: The Take-out Window allows for equitable food access andcenters around participant choice. It is open five days a week, four hours a day. Everyone is welcome to receive meals. People can select a variety of food options, including 2,430 lbs of fresh produce grown on site in the Manna Garden. In 2024, 48,818 meals were distributed. Mannas free Food Market is set up like a grocery store with refrigerators,produce and shopping carts. Participants are able to freely select From an array of nutritious foods based on dietary needs, culturally appropriate and desired food choices. The Food Market is open four days a week and the hours of operation accommodate those on varied work/school schedules. In 2024, we saw 13,312 visits and 318,797 pounds of food were distributed. The visits were made by 2,418 unique individuals.

Culinary Program: Since 2014, Mannas Culinary Program has focused on teaching job/life skills and food service industry knowledge to vulnerable populations to help people overcome their barriers to achieve gainful employment. Students accepted into the program face many barriers to employment; economically disadvantaged, experiencing homelessness, learning disabilities, lack of education/job skills, employment gaps. 100% of the adult participants in the Culinary Program qualify as low-income. Manna collaborates with other agencies,community members and businesses to provide students with additional services, helping to reduce barriers to Employment. Students learn in a supportive environment that fosters selfsufficiency, solid work ethic and self-confidence. Manna is contributing to the overall healthand economic vitality of our community, one student at a time. The Culinary Training Program fulfills basic needs through weekly stipends, supportive services, provide resource and benefits navigation, and build skills that can help one obtain or improve employment. We believe that this array of onsite resources will strengthen protective factors and resiliency for individuals and families, by improving economic stability, physical/mental health, and overall wellbeing for underserved populations in our community. We partner with Big Picture High School and Wolverine Academy to offer youth the opportunity to attend the Culinary Program. In 2024, the Culinary Program facilitated seven sessions, graduating 39 students. 27 of the students are currently employed.