84 Lumber donates to MANNA FoodBank

84 Lumber has donated $10,000 to the Asheville, N.C.-based MANNA FoodBank.

The donation was made to shine a spotlight on Hunger Awareness Month. 

As the presenting sponsor of the U.S. Capitol Christmas tree, which is being harvested from the nearby Pisgah National Forest in North Carolina, 84 Lumber said it wanted to deliver an early Christmas gift to MANNA FoodBank.

Every year since 1964, a different national forest has been selected to provide a tree for the West Lawn of the U.S. Capitol for the holiday season. The name 'People's Tree' reflects the nickname for the U.S. House of Representatives, the People's House. 

The 2022 tree will come from the Pisgah National Forest and 84 Lumber will be among those tracking the tree's journey from North Carolina to Washington, D.C.  

On Sept. 29, 84 Lumber Asheville Store Manager Ryan Adair presented the MANNA FoodBank with a $10,000 check just in time for the holiday season. 

“As a presenting sponsor of 2022 U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree, 84 Lumber is honored to bring an early Christmas gift to the Asheville community,” said Ryan Adair.  “We are excited that this donation will serve many people right here in our neighborhood, especially around the holiday season.” 

MANNA Foodbank is a private, not-for-profit service organization working to end food insecurity in 16 counties of Western North Carolina, including the Qualla Boundary. The organization links to over 200 partner pantries and other human service organizations to get food to thousands of families' tables. 

MANNA is an acronym that stands for Mountain Area Nutritional Needs Alliance and is a member of Feeding America [feedingamerica.org], the nation’s largest domestic hunger relief organization. 

Officials with MANNA say this time of year is a particularly tough time for families struggling to get by. 

“This is the time of year when most nonprofits see an increase in needs for local families and we are grateful for partners like 84 Lumber,” said Olivia Onderlinde, corporate engagement manager at MANNA FoodBank. “This generous gift will provide 40,000 meals ahead of holiday need.”

Altogether, MANNA serves over 250 community-based non-profit food assistance partner agencies and distributed 18.6 million pounds of food in 2021 and 2022. For more information, visit MANNAFoodbank.org, or call 828-299-FOOD.