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Manna is excited to bring the second annual gala event back to Bay Harbor. Featuring live music by the Owen James Trio, this fun evening will begin with cocktail hour overlooking Lake Michigan followed by a live auction and a delicious dinner from the culinary team at Bay Harbor Yacht Club. This is an opportunity to become well acquainted with the Manna Board of Directors and staff, as well as raise funds to support the Food 4 Kids Backpack Program, which keeps food insecure children in pre-k and elementary schools fed and fueled for success.

On average, one in five children in Michigan are at risk of hunger. In some of our own communities, that number is much higher. At Charlevoix Elementary School, one in four kids are in need of the backpack program. For the East Jordan Elementary School, 53% of their students receive these weekend meals. In more rural school districts, all of the students are given backpacks to ensure no child goes hungry over the weekend.

Manna’s Food 4 Kids Backpack Program supplies backpacks of food to 30 organizations across our Antrim, Charlevoix, and Emmet Counties, including elementary schools, pre-k and head start programs, and public libraries. Backpacks include meals and snacks for over the weekend when kids aren’t getting meals at school. Manna strives to provide kid-friendly, nutritious food that is easy for pre-school and elementary age children to prepare on their own. This ready-to-eat food tends to come at a premium, but Manna is doing everything they can to keep the costs of this program as low as possible without compromising on nutrition. More schools are opting into this feeding program. In 2024, the Manna Food Project distributed a record number of over 64,000 backpacks.

Thanks to the generous support from those who attended the 2024 Manna Gala, we are able to add fresh fruit and nutrition education materials to our backpack deliveries. Please help us keep this important addition to our program going and ensure that all children can receive the fuel they need to thrive!

The Manna Gala 2025

By The Manna Food Project

The Manna Gala 2025

Benefiting the Food 4 Kids Backpack Program