Manna Food Center to Unveil New Trucks Wednesday

Gaithersburg's Manna Food Center, the largest food bank in Montgomery County, has three new ways to keep the food coming.

Manna will debut its three new food trucks Wednesday evening. The new trucks measure almost twice the size of some of Manna’s older fleet, according to a news release.

“The amount of food distributed each year has grown substantially, and our smaller trucks just couldn’t keep up. We needed a way to bring in more food more efficiently,” former Manna Food Center Executive Director Kim Damion said in a statement.

The large, diesel vehicles have the ability to keep the refrigeration running while the engine is off, saving gas and reducing pollution as the trucks make stops across the county, according to Manna.

Manna's trucks go out every morning to grocery stores across Montgomery County to pick up donated food items. They also crisscross the county throughout the week, collecting non-perishable food from community food drives and events and visit nine farmers’ markets and many local farms to collect thousands of pounds of fresh produce.

“This amazing gift will help us keep up with the growing demand for food assistance and help Manna save on transportation costs as well," Executive Director Minerva Delgado said in a statement. "It’s really a great step into the future for us.” 

Manna’s truck celebration will run from 5 to 7 p.m. at the warehouse in Gaithersburg. Awards will be presented to top donors and attendees will have a chance to hear from Josh Rales, Kim Damion, Minerva Delgado and members of Montgomery County legislature.