Who We Are
The mission of Manna is to provide, in the spirit of faith and love, nourishing meals and supportive services in an atmosphere of acceptance and caring for those in need. Manna Soup Kitchen was founded in May, 1985. The previous winter, a woman died from starvation in a horse stall at the La Plata County Fairgrounds in Durango, Colorado. Scrawled on the wall beside her were the words, “nobody cares.” This tragedy resulted in a small group of Christians organizing to provide food for those in the community who were experiencing hunger.
What We Do
We provide quality balanced meals and supportive services in a safe and respectful environment, free of judgment. Everyone is welcome to take part in meals and services at Manna. Manna is a drug and alcohol free establishment.
Currently, Manna serves nearly 85,000 hot meals a year, distributes 17-20,000 pounds of food a month in our free food market, and packs 200 backpacks a month to send home with school-aged kids, stocked with 7 easy-to-make meals for the weekend.
Opened on March 28, 2022, the Manna Resource Center provides supportive services to partner with community members to take next steps toward self-sufficiency. Complete with a business center, confidential case management, showers, and free food market, the Resource Center averages 80-120 visits each four-hour service day. Since 2014 our Culinary Training Program has taught life and employability skills and food service industry knowledge to La Plata County’s most at-risk population to help people overcome barriers to achieve gainful employment. Graduates complete the program with a Certificate of Completion and a two-year state recognized Food Handlers Certificate. By growing opportunities and feeding community through these programs, Manna is contributing to the overall health and economic vitality of the region.
Manna's Community Garden on our campus grows fresh fruit and produce which goes directly into nutritious meals and our free Food Market. The adjacent Community Pavilion offers a place to eat meals and build community in a beautiful setting.
Volunteers support the mission of Manna in our Free Food Market, Community Kitchen, Community Pavilion, Community Garden, and Companion Program.
