Manna Meal, ÂÒÂ×ÄÚÉä's free food service, to stop serving breakfast soon

David Frercks, Manna Meal board president, said the decision to eliminate breakfast was financial, citing higher expenses and lower funding.

While Manna Meal did not start serving breakfast when it was established in 1976, the organization has been serving the meal since at least 1996, according to ÂÒÂ×ÄÚÉä newspaper archives.

Leaving St. John's

Frercks said both financial and community support started to wane when Manna Meal moved out of St. John’s Episcopal Church, 1105 Quarrier St., where employees both prepared and served food.

In November 2023, Manna Meal ended food distribution services at the location after community concerns about security in the area. Parents of students at the nearby Sacred Heart Grade School had even brought their concerns to the state legislature in 2022.

While feeding services never stopped, indoor meals resumed soon at the former Garnet Career Center, 422 Dickinson St. Manna Meal ended food preparation at St. John’s in late 2024 and moved storage and preparation space to the former Shape Shop Cafe, 706 Central Ave., now owned by West Virginia Health Right.

Higher expenses

According to a news release from Manna Meal, there have been “drastically higher expenses� since leaving St. John’s.

In March, the organization announced they would be pausing indoor service at Garnet during warmer weather and serving meals outside to “conserve resources.�

In June, Manna Meal launched a fundraising campaign to rent dining space — ideally at Garnet — during the winter.

“ We are systematically looking at what the best options are for us so that we can financially afford to feed people at lunch into the future, and eliminating inside dining was the first step,� Frercks said. “And when that was not enough to help our situation, we then made the difficult decision to eliminate the breakfast expense, which we're hoping will help a little bit.�

Manna Meal’s last tax filing shows expenses from 2023. Then, Manna Meal had revenue of $1.7 million and expenses of $1.9 million. More recent financial records were not immediately available Friday.

However, Frercks said, while the decision was financially based, he believes there is also a lack of community support "that makes it difficult to collaborate and have partnerships."

Meal costs

Amy Wolfe, executive director, said Manna Meal served about 135 to 150 breakfast meals a day compared to about 500 meals for lunch. Both offerings are hot meals, with breakfast consisting of items like eggs, sausage, waffles and grits.

Breakfast costs about $3,500 to $4,000 a week, Wolfe said.

Wolfe said most of the food that is donated to Manna Meal is used for lunch.

Manna Meal is hoping to raise money from the community to continue lunch service. Frercks said if there was enough financial backing in the future, the organization would consider adding breakfast back.

“In  order for us to be able to stay sustain our mission as it originally started, which was to serve people nutritious lunch, then we are only able to do that at this time,� he said.

Donations to Manna Meal can be made securely online at mannameal.org/donate or by mail at: Manna Meal, P.O. Box 3913, ÂÒÂ×ÄÚÉä, WV 25339. Those who are able to make a significant gift are encouraged to contact Amy Wolfe directly by calling 304-345-7121 or email amy@mannameal.org.

What's next?

According to a news release, the Kanawha Valley Collective and United Way of Central West Virginia are working to maintain breakfast service.

"Coordinating with multiple service providers, this group stands prepared to fill an emergency need while seeking long term solutions," the news release said.

More details will be released next week, but those interested in helping may contact KVC Executive Director Traci Strickland at 304-346-6638 or tstrickland@kvccoc.org.