Join the Movement.
September is Hunger Action Month
Hunger Action Month is a nationwide initiative designed to mobilize the public to take action on the issue of hunger and join the movement to help end hunger! Here at MANNA FoodBank, we are asking: What does it mean to take action on hunger? This month, we have a few ways you can take action to raise awareness about the serious impact hunger has on so many people in our community, and across the country.
Hunger Action Month Calendar: 30 Ways in 30 Days
Our Hunger Action Month calendar is a great way to see what opportunities are available to take action against hunger. There are big events happening across Western North Carolina in September that directly address the issue of hunger, like Ingles Day at the Mountain State Fair on September 12th, Pint Night at Highland Brewing on September 20th, and our Empty Bowls fundraiser on September 24th.
There are also smaller actions you can take throughout the month to address hunger on a personal level, such as taking the FNS (food stamp) challenge to eat on $4 for a day, eating at The Cantina in Biltmore Village and donating your side dishes as a donation to MANNA, making a donation to MANNA on our website, or signing up to volunteer at MANNA or any of our 220 partner pantries across WNC. (You can find a list of our partner pantries on our Food Finder page.)
Click here to download MANNA’s Hunger Action Month calendar and see what actions you can take in September to help us eradicate hunger.
Community Collaboration: Asheville Hotels come together for Sweet Dreams, Full Plates campaign
The Asheville-area tourist industry is a mainstay of our regional economy, and MANNA has been the beneficiary of many local hotels’ efforts to make an impact in the WNC community.
This year, we are thrilled to highlight the second year of an incredible initiative from our area hotels to help feed families across WNC. Sweet Dreams, Full Plates: Hospitality Feeding Families, is a month-long campaign happening during Hunger Action Month.
Last year’s campaign raised an incredible 120,000 meals for the neighbors we serve!
This campaign encourages hotel guests to forgo stay-over room service, and in exchange the hotel makes a $2 donation to MANNA. For every hotel room that opts out of stay-over service, MANNA can provide the food for 7 meals – enough to feed a family. Check out the list of participating hotels, and make your hotel recommendations to visitors make a difference for families across WNC!
MANNA’s 2018 Hunger Action Month Events
Sept. 12: Ingles Day at the Mountain State Fair Food Drive
A favorite change-of-season event is back! Ingles Day at the Mountain State Fair is one of MANNA’s biggest food drives of the year. Bring five cans of Laura Lynn brand Ingles products as a donation to MANNA, and get into the Mountain State Fair for free! MANNA staff and volunteers are on hand at both gates to collect the food donations and give out gate entry tickets. It’s a great opportunity to involve the entire family, have a great time at the fair, and to take action against hunger!
Sept. 13: Hunger Action Day
Hunger Action Day is the day that millions of people across the nation stand together to raise awareness for hunger. Nationally, 1 in 8 people struggle with hunger, and 1 in 5 children don’t have regular access to food. In WNC, 1 in 6 people are faced with hunger; 1 in 4 children do not know where they will get their next meal.
Help us bring awareness to this issue by wearing orange. Orange is the color of hunger awareness, so sport your orange gear on September 13th, and tell people why. Learn a few of the local facts about hunger, and help MANNA spread awareness for this issue by sharing that with family, coworkers, friends, and neighbors. By simply understanding a little more about why families in WNC are struggling to keep food on the table, YOU are taking action, standing with millions across the country, united in the work to end hunger.
Sept 16: Grapes, Grain, and Graham: Wine & Beer Dinner at Highland Brewing
Highland Brewing Company, Biltmore Estate Winery, and Chef Graham House of Sovereign Remedies are excited to announce Grapes, Grains, & Graham, a ticketed dinner event benefiting MANNA FoodBank. The dinner will feature four Appalachian-inspired courses expertly paired with a Highland beer and a Biltmore wine.
Drawing upon the olfactory and taste sensations of Chef House’s creations, Highland Sensory Scientist Megan Rayfield and John Justice of Biltmore Winery have selected drink pairings that highlight different aspects of each dish. This dinner is for both the beer lover and the wine fanatic. Not a fan of craft beer? Give it another chance as Highland sensory scientist Anna Sauls guides you through each pour. Turn your nose up at wine? See if you still feel that way after having tried a selection from the country’s most visited winery.
Tickets for this supper are limited, so don’t miss your chance for an evening of exploration authentic only to Asheville.
Ticket price includes tax and gratuity.
Sept. 20: Pint Night at Highland Brewing
Join us for a community night at our neighborhood brewery, Highland Brewing, for a Hunger Action Month celebration. Highland is generously donating $1 to MANNA for every beer sold in the taproom that day, so bring some friends and have a pint for a good cause. Every beer purchase will enable MANNA to provide the food for 3.5 meals!
Sept. 22: Preserve Communities: $25,000 Grand Prix Calcutta Benefit is Back!
For a second year, Preserve Communities is hosting an incredible equestrian event to benefit MANNA. The Grand Prix Calcutta is a fantastic chance to see top international horse and rider teams compete to raise money to benefit the people we serve across WNC! Last year’s event was stellar: a gorgeous location in the heart of Madison County, delicious food and drinks, and some of the most unique live entertainment you can see in the mountains of NC.
To learn more, and to purchase tickets, visit Preserve Communities’ website here!
Sept. 24: 17th Annual Empty Bowls Lunch and Dinner
This year celebrates the 17th year of MANNA FoodBank’s Empty Bowls fundraisers. Attendees choose a bowl hand-made by local artisans and enjoy a meal of soup, bread, and dessert. The bowl they take home reminds them of all the empty bowls in the world.
Everything for this annual sell-out event is donated: the soup, the event space, the desserts, and over 1,000 hand-made ceramic bowls. This allows for all the profits to go directly toward feeding our neighbors facing hunger in Western North Carolina.
In addition to the bowls that each ticket holder can select and take home, there is the Collector’s Corner at Empty Bowls, where special works of high-end craft and art are available for purchase. Collector’s Corner items are selected by the artists, and are gallery-quality pieces. All proceeds collected from the sale of Collector’s Corner items support MANNA’s mission to provide food to families struggling with an empty bowl throughout MANNA’s 16-county service area.