On April 17, 2023, Andrews University opened Manna, a service for students experiencing food insecurity. After two years of planning and development by students and faculty, the grand opening took place in the lobby of University Towers in front of Room 312, where the new food pantry resides. Among other key participants, the event was led by dean Christina Hunter and students Mery Tynes, Amar Sudhaker, Brian Parker and Nehemiah Sitler, all of whom were instrumental in the creation of Manna.
The service will offer non-perishable food items, hygiene products and meals every Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 6–8 p.m. After a brief sign-up process, students will be allowed to take up to five items and a meal. Students may receive a maximum of one meal per day and five non-perishable items per week.
Meals will be provided by Andrews University Dining Service, operated by Bon Appétit Management Company. Linda Brinegar, general manager of Bon Appétit, says, “I was thrilled when I got a phone call from my boss. They said that they were willing to donate up to $5,000 to make this program work well and safely.” Holding a green tupperware container with a prepackaged meal inside, Brinegar continued, “This is a safe container, leakproof, that is microwavable, with nothing bad in it that will leach into the food or anything like that. I have $5,000 worth of these in the basement right now. So on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, my team with the help of some wonderful volunteers, will package 50 of these. It took us 45 minutes and we’ll get better as we go.”
Donations of non-perishable food and hygiene items can be dropped off at the University Towers’ front desk or visit Give Online and select “Student Life Emergency Fund” from the dropdown menu to make a monetary donation.
