“How great THOU art…”

 The Story of the Seed that Fell on Fertile Soil

Master’s Manna, Inc. incorporated 9/27/2006 and began operation as a food pantry/clothes closet in the basement of the Wallingford Church of the Nazarene on December 6, 2006. The space was 600 sq. ft. with a monthly rent of $30.00.  The first month 42 families received service.  Richard Addy provided the first donation in the amount of $500.00. Liberty Bank Foundation was our first major donor providing a grant of $7500.00 in 2007.  The space at the church quickly became inadequate and on December 6, 2007 Master’s Manna relocated to a 1,500 sq. ft. store front at 316 North Colony Road in Wallingford. Rent increased to $800/month plus utilities.

The “Manna Mobile” (2000 Ford Windstar van) was donated by Tom and Paul Baberino~ birthing the “transportation” program.  Transportation consisted of trips to the airport/train/bus stations, non-emergency medical transports to doctors, physical therapy, counseling, same day surgery, to job interviews, visits to family in the hospital, assistance with moving, etc.

The soup kitchen became an integral part of Master’s Manna at this new location. Our kitchen was licensed with the Town of Wallingford! Anyone needing a hot meal was provided with such. Clothes were hung on clothes racks on the outside porch area to allow homeless individuals access to clothing 24 hours/day, especially during winter months.

During the winters of 2007 and 2008 many nights Master’s Manna remained open and provided shelter for individuals unable to utilize the Emergency Shelter or for families that had no other place to go. Collaboration was born with Door of Hope and the Yalesville United Methodist Church whereby folks would get to Master’s Manna during the inclement weather and were then transported to one of the two churches when temperatures fell below 20 degrees for 2 or more days consecutively.    

It was during 2007 that relationships were built with the Wallingford School System, High Roads Learning Center, Ben Haven School and several other local high schools as students looked for community service opportunities, job training, and a safe and accepting community where social skills, problems solving techniques and boundaries could be gained, honed and balanced.  The New Haven, Meriden and Middletown Court system contacted Master’s Manna as a possible site for court ordered community service. This vital partnership continues.

Outreach to the community was enhanced with the “Senior Soup Social”. A network of home-schooled children converged on Master’s Manna each Wednesday, prepared a veritable feast, delivered to one of the 4 senior complexes in Wallingford where tables were set with “real” plates and silverware, food was served to the seniors by the students who then sat and ate with our seniors. Often the students prepared skits, shared talents, told stories and performed for the seniors.  This program ended when Master’s Manna relocated once again, this time to 46 No. Plains Industrial Rd, Wallingford. Without a licensed kitchen in which to prepare food this program had to be eliminated.

Liberty Bank Foundation, Napier Foundation, Community Foundation of Greater New Haven, New Haven United Way, M/W United Way, Webster Bank, Wallingford Dream Foundation, among other funders plus many private donors became the financial backbone of Masters Manna. Many opportunities presented themselves for raising awareness of the needs of people living in the greater Wallingford/Meriden communities. We took full advantage of those opportunities. The “Empty Plates, Empty Pockets Campaign” enabled 1704 handwritten messages to be delivered to Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro’s office in Washington, D.C. She then delivered these messages to President Obama. The last week of May, 2011 Master’s Manna received a personal message from Pres. Obama relating that he had received our paper plated messages and is working toward resolving issues that carry hunger as a byproduct.

Upon arrival at our current location of 46 No. Plains Industrial Road in Wallingford in April of 2009, major renovations were required to enable Master’s Manna to provide safe, comprehensive and expanded services to those coming through our doors. The “Extreme Food Pantry Make Over” was underway. Many community companies, organizations and individuals came together to transform a warehouse into the Master’s Manna. We are now housed within a 6100 sq. ft. facility offering on- site access to food pantry, clothing closet, soup kitchen, job training, laundry/shower facilities, free medical/dental/mental health clinic, food stamp certification, housing opportunities, domestic violence counseling, and a “safe haven” for individuals/families living in tents or vehicles, etc. Master’s Manna is a community service site recognized and utilized by 7 local high schools, the Boy Scout and Girl Scout organizations, local churches and 3 local universities. These universities have incorporated Master’s Manna into a small portion of their curriculum. As President of Master’s Manna, I have been asked to present to specific classes at these three local universities.

Through our relationship with the Liberty Bank Foundation, we were able to jointly initiate the convening of interested parties in establishing the Meriden Wallingford Ten-Year Plan to Prevent and End Homelessness.  This initiative has recently been revitalized.

During 2009, President Obama’s Administration allotted distribution of monies through the federal stimulus package. Some of these monies were funneled to HUD, then to state DSS and onto Lead Agencies for administration of funds aimed specifically for the use of housing homeless individuals/families or assisting those imminently at risk of becoming homeless to become stably housed. This program is called HPRP (Homelessness Prevention and Rapid Rehousing).  Master’s Manna is the only agency in Wallingford licensed and contracted to administer this program. The contract is for a three-year period ending 9/2012. We contracted to provide service to 8 families/individuals.  Forty-seven families received assistance through this program from Master’s Manna. Fifteen Wallingford families were at “imminent risk of becoming homeless” or living in the Emergency Shelter. We worked with local landlords, other social service agencies and were able to assist these 15 families to remain in current housing or relocate to more affordable housing. We are currently renegotiating this contract with Mercy House in Hartford (one of the CT Lead Agencies) to continue to provide service to those newly eligible for HPRP assistance in the greater Wallingford area.

Recently we asked Labor Ready to be present on-site to register qualified workers for “work today, get paid today” employment opportunities. Labor Ready is present every three weeks at Master’s Manna to provide this service.

It is our intent to obtain the remainder of this building, enlarge the clinic space, add a free dental clinic, revamp the food distribution area, add classrooms and dedicated office space. We invite all to join us in this endeavor.