Join Us as We Work Together to Solve Hunger

_DSC6185MANNA recovers excess food and various products from local and national manufacturers, wholesalers, growers, packers, distributors, supermarkets, individual donors and trucking companies. Local food industry partners such as Ingles, Wal-Mart, Lipman Produce, Food Lion, Flavor 1st Growers and Packers, Milkco, BI-LO, and many others support us in our effort to end hunger in Western North Carolina.

If you would like to make a food donation, there are two methods to do so based on the amount. If you have a small sized donation, such as a couple of bags or boxes, we ask that you put the food in the donation box located in front of the Volunteer Center entrance. If you have a large donation, please call us at 1-828-299-3663 to coordinate your donation. 
If you would like to schedule a food drive, please fill out this form.

Download our printable Food Industry Fact Sheet. The benefits of product donation are many, including:

  • Your donation is tax deductible, as allowed by law
  • Reduce storage and disposal fees
  • Enhance inventory control by reducing hard-to-move products and unsaleables
  • Put products to good use instead of to waste
  • Boost employee morale
  • Foster community goodwill
  • Protect brand integrity

Accepted Products

We accept all types of shelf stable foods, as well as fresh, refrigerated, and frozen food as well as non-food items such as paper products, cleaning supplies, and health and beauty aids. We gladly accept product that is safe for consumption, yet unsaleable due to any of the following:

  • Close code dates
  • Mislabeled products
  • Surplus production
  • Discontinued products
  • Shipping errors
  • Un-harvested or post-peak produce
  • Cosmetic damages
  • Imperfect packaging
  • Production flaws

Who Benefits from Food Donations?

MANNA FoodBank distributes the products to more than 200 charitable organizations that feed people in need throughout Western North Carolina. These include food pantries, homeless shelters, soup kitchens, day care centers, and senior citizen feeding programs.

Donor Protection

The Bill Emerson Good Samaritan Food Donation Act, passed by Congress in 1996, protects citizens and businesses who donate apparently wholesome food or an apparently fit grocery product in good faith to a nonprofit organization for distribution to people in need. Read the Act.

Quick and Professional Response

We can respond quickly, usually by the next business day. Pallet exchange can be provided. We have a fleet of dock high, refrigerated vehicles and full-time drivers. Our warehouse has a 500 pallet capacity, with a 40 pallet drive-in freezer and 37 pallet drive-in cooler. A team of community volunteers inspect, clean, sort, label, and repack donations.

Safe Food Handling

Your food donation is in good hands. We have over thirty years of safe food handling experience. Food bank staff and all certified member agencies are trained in safe food handling.

Individual DonorsChild Gardener

If you are an individual interested in donating a more family sized amount of food, please drop off perishables and non-perishables at the Volunteer Center side of our building at 627 Swannanoa River Rd.

If you are dropping off perishables, for the sake of food safety, please be sure a MANNA designated staff or volunteer is able to receive your donation. A printable flyer of the most needed food items can be accessed and printed from here: MostNeededFlyer There are many ways in which you can directly participate in improving the lives of people facing hunger in Western North Carolina. The most direct way in which you can have an impact is by donating food. Create a habit of buying a few extra cans when you go to the grocery store. Keep a box by your front door where you deposit these extra cans and when the box is full, bring it on over to MANNA FoodBank. Backyard gardeners can plant an extra row for the hungry. Take your extra produce to MANNA or call MANNA for a listing of agencies in your area: (828) 299-3663.