About Us
We brought a vision to our community as a response to the need of our neighbors. Our mission is to provide an outreach to the hurting, lost and needy throughout Eastern and Central Maine.
Manna Ministries' initial goal was to provide services to the homeless, working poor and fixed income families and individuals. However, as we grew, Manna Ministries found that our guests were not predominantly homeless and that the Greater Bangor Shelter provided this assistance to the homeless. Manna Ministries works together with the Greater Bangor Shelter providing bus tickets or helping to find employment for their guests at the Shelter. Another area that has gravitated to Manna is the population of adolescents that are living on the streets or in crash houses.
Manna Ministries has found itself in the position of providing a safety net in keeping the working poor and people on a fixed income from becoming homeless. Most, if not all, of our guests are one crisis, one paycheck, or one doctor's bill from losing their lights, homes or apartments. They come to Manna Ministries for food, fuel assistance, and funds for medicine, clothing or other life sustaining services. Many people that are low income have to make daily choices between food and clothing, medical help, or rent. Manna Ministries has been helping to provide a better quality of life for the "hidden homeless", as well as save the State funds by keeping people from having to use welfare programs.
Three full-time employees and one part time employee staff Manna Ministries. Our backbone is the army of volunteers that come every day to cook, clean, serve the meals and hand out groceries.
Manna Ministries has, for eleven years, not just concerned itself with providing a meal but we are very concerned with the quality of life for our guests and helping them find and keep employment. Manna is a follow through corporation. When we help someone find employment we follow the progress of that person to make sure that they are secure in the things they need to live not just survive.
The funding for Manna Ministries comes from individuals, civic groups, churches and schools. We have three other foundations that donate to Manna on a regular basis, Maine Community Foundation, Martin Foundation and The Protein Foundation.
Our History
Thirty people came for dinner at a small building on Hammond Street. It was 1991, and the beginning of Manna's work as a soup kitchen. A local attorney donated the space and the Protein Foundation provided seed money to buy a stove, cookware, and food. In 1994, Manna introduced a food pantry, instituted a drop in center, and began offering social service referrals.
The spirit of community and a positive attitude characterize Manna. Our mission is to minister to the spiritual and temporal needs of people throughout our community: to feed the hungry, to clothe the naked, and to shelter the homeless. Over time we have moved several times, even providing meals out of a van in a park when we found ourselves without a home. In 1995, we found a permanent home only to have it collapse during the 1998 ice storm. Throughout it all, we have continued to provide vital services to people who have fallen on hard times.
Manna Inc. Non-Discrimination Statement
Manna Inc. does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, national origin, ancestry, age, physical or mental disability, or familial status in the admission or access to, or treatment or employment in, its programs and services. Questions regarding compliance with this policy may be directed to Bill C. Rae, Manna Inc., 629 Main Street, Bangor, Maine 04401, Phone: 207-990-2870 or Manna8@juno.com.