2025 is MANNA's 35th year since our founding in 1990! Make a gift to support this milestone year and read below to learn more about MANNA's past, present, and future.
MANNA was founded in 1990 when seven members of the First Presbyterian Church in Philadelphia began delivering meals to their neighbors dying of AIDS. 35 years later, we are delivering more than a million medically tailored meals a year to thousands of critically ill neighbors across greater Philadelphia and southern New Jersey.
MANNA's growth from those humble beginnings in a church basement to where we are today would not be possible without our incredible community of champions, donors, and volunteers. Thank you for being a part of our first 35 years. Because of you, our future is incredibly bright.
A Monumental 35th Year for MANNA!
Over the years, MANNA has grown from delivering comfort food to neighbors living with and dying from AIDS, to providing medically tailored meals (MTMs) and nutritional counseling to clients with a variety of nutrition-impacted diagnoses. Our research arm, The MANNA Institute, has conducted research demonstrating the immense benefits of MTMs, including this recent study, and insurance plans have begun to cover our services as they would other prescriptions.
2025 will mark another major advancement for MANNA’s program, as our continued technological overhaul will lay the groundwork for clients to choose which meals they receive each week. This client meal choice program, along with our new fully vegetarian menu option, will give clients much more control over the meals they receive. These new elements will have massive benefits for our clients’ satisfaction, meal completion, and most importantly, their health and wellbeing.
2025 will be a year of celebrations! See below for a list of events coming up throughout the year.
CHEF Radio Live!
Wed, April 9th
Join us for the fourth annual CHEF Radio Live! featuring food by fantastic Philly chefs and a live episode of the CHEF Radio podcast, hosted by Chef Eli Kulp.
Tickets and more details coming soon!
Volunteer Appreciation Party
Thu, April 24th @ MANNA
MANNA could not effectively serve our clients without our incredible volunteers, so we throw them a party every April to thank them for all of their hard work!
Guac Off
Thu, May 22nd @ Morgan's Pier
Enjoy beautiful river views, fun activities, and delicious guacamole from some of Philly's best restaurants at MANNA's 11th annual Guac Off! Tickets and more details coming soon.
MANNA’s Anniversary Celebration:
Cheers to 35 Years of Nourishment!
Thu, September 25th @ The Bellevue Hotel
Join us to celebrate MANNA's 35th Anniversary with delicious food, spectacular performances, and meaningful recognition of the many people who have helped MANNA over the last 35 years.
Tickets and more details coming soon!
Pie in the Sky
October and November
Buy a Pie. Nourish a Neighbor! Flavors and more information coming soon.
35 Years of MANNA: A Historical Look-back
1989
Members of the First Presbyterian Church in Philadelphia grow concerned about the AIDS crisis in Philadelphia and the lack of resources for people living with the then-mysterious disease.
1990
January 20
MANNA is officially founded as a nonprofit by seven members of the church: Walla Dempsey, Mary Gainer, Kathryn “Kay” Keenze, Robert “Bob” Prischak, Reid Reames, Dixie Scoles, and Kenwyn Smith.
1993
MANNA moves out of the church basement into its own space a few blocks away.
1994
As the link between AIDS and nutrition becomes clearer, MANNA begins preparing and serving food tailored to the nutritional needs of AIDS patients. Previously, MANNA volunteers delivered comfort food prepared by local restaurants.
October
MANNA kicks off its First Pie in the Sky fundraiser.
1997
MANNA moves to Ranstead Street, a space with more room and better facilities for both kitchen and offices.
2008
To serve more clients in a wider delivery radius, MANNA shifts from providing hot meals made to order each day to providing flash frozen meals still made in-house and adjusts deliveries from daily to weekly.
2006
MANNA expands its services beyond AIDS patients to include anyone at nutritional risk due to critical illness
2012
Sue Daugherty appointed as CEO
2013
MANNA publishes the first ever research study to quantify the positive health impacts of a medically tailored meal program on individuals with serious illnesses.
2015
MANNA secures its first healthcare contract with Health Partners Plans, meaning that some of our clients’ meal costs can be covered by their insurance provider.
2017
MANNA moves to our newly constructed space on 20th and Hamilton Streets, the Steven H Korman Nutrition Center, with the largest industrial kitchen in all of Philadelphia, providing space and capacity to serve many more clients.
2019
Founding of the MANNA Institute, the first of its kind research and evaluation arm of an MTM provider. The MANNA Institute explores the impact of nutrition on health for people with serious illness.
2022
September
MANNA CEO Sue is invited to speak about Food is Medicine at the White House Conference on Hunger, Nutrition, and Health.
2024
June
MANNA serves its 23 millionth meal.
September
MANNA enrolls its 50,000th client.
November
The MANNA Institute publishes first-of-its-kind research demonstrating that clients treated with home-delivered medically tailored meals (MTMs) have significant positive changes in factors that impact management of diseases, including diabetes and hypertension.
December
MANNA becomes the first organization in PA and among the first organizations nationwide to receive accreditation by the Food is Medicine Coalition (FIMC), confirming that MANNA meets FIMC’s set of standards for agencies delivering medically tailored meals (MTMs) as part of treatment plans for patients with complex, chronic illnesses and establishing MANNA as a leader in the Food is Medicine movement.
Other Ways to Support MANNA's 35th
Send a check to MANNA, 420 N 20th St. Philadelphia, PA 19130
Buy a Kitchen Tile: Engraving a tile in MANNA's kitchen is a great way to support our work and honor or memorialize someone close to you at the same time. Learn more here.
Donate through your workplace: Federal employees and retirees can donate to MANNA through the Combined Federal Campaign (CFC). Ask the HR department at non-federal employers about their annual giving campaigns and options for contributing through payroll deductions. Learn more here.
IRA Giving: We can accept gifts from your IRA, regardless of your age. Learn more here.
Legacy Giving: By including a charitable contribution to MANNA in your will or estate plans, you join other members of the MANNA Legacy Society in a lasting commitment to our mission that costs you nothing today. Learn more here.
Stock Giving: Giving stocks and other securities to MANNA is an easy way to make an impact without taking money directly out of your bank account. Learn more here.
DAF Giving: A donor-advised fund is like an investment account but exists for the sole purpose of supporting charitable causes. Learn more or recommend a grant from your DAF here.