Since its start less than three years ago, the organization has had to move twice to meet rising demand, said Sarah Leathers, the founder and executive director. After borrowing the kitchen in a pasta shop to get going, organizers quickly discovered they needed more storage and cooling space. So they rented kitchen time at a restaurant in Avon, Conn., for about a year.
This summer, they had to move again, and are now renting the kitchen at Auerfarm, a nonprofit educational farm in Bloomfield, Conn. They have also planted a “nourishing garden” at their new location to supply some of the food for their meals.
“When we started, we thought we would serve the Farmington Valley first and then gradually start to grow,” Ms. Leathers said. “But then the calls started to come in from outside the valley, and it was hard for us to say no. Now, we’re in 42 towns.”
In Philadelphia, Ms. Daugherty and her staff at Manna toured at least 65 locations before deciding to lease and renovate a second-floor space with a freight elevator and a loading dock. Finding an affordable space in Philadelphia’s Center City neighborhood made the hunt especially challenging, but closeness to public transit was paramount for an organization reliant on volunteers, she said.
The location, near the Benjamin Franklin Parkway, a hub of city attractions, has also raised the organization’s profile.
“In our old location, we were on an alleyway behind these dumpsters,” Ms. Daugherty said. “Here, I can’t tell you how many people come in off the street and ask about what we’re doing.”
The 23,000-square-foot space gives Manna the ability to cook and store up to 2.8 million meals a year, and serve up to 2,500 clients a month. The renovation cost just under $5 million, raised through a capital campaign.
