MANNA FoodBank Completes New 16,500-Square-Foot Facility
Apr 01, 2026 01:37PM ● By Emma Castleberry
| More than a year after Hurricane Helene, MANNA FoodBank was still relying on refrigerated trucks to ensure fresh food could still reach the most vulnerable communities. Now, MANNA’s new freezer and cooler facility in Mills River is officially open, creating a long-term foundation for fresh food access across the region. |
| This new 16,500-square-foot facility increases the nonprofit's cold storage capacity by 233%, ensuring that more produce, more dairy, and more protein are available to neighbors who turn to its network of food pantries and meal sites for support across 16 counties of WNC and the Qualla Boundary. MANNA is launching the “Fill the Freezer” campaign, a month-long virtual food drive to help stock this new space with nutritious food for families across WNC. The organization's goal is to raise $75,000 by April 30 to help purchase the fresh and frozen foods that are most requested. Every gift directly supports the purchase and distribution of nutritious, perishable foods through MANNA’s network of more than 300 partner pantries, meal sites, shelters, and community organizations. Learn more and donate to the Fill the Freezer campaign. |