About
Our Story
In 2014, what is now known as MontCo Anti-Hunger Network (MAHN) was created to address a variety of distribution challenges experienced by area food pantries. Agencies were not equipped to efficiently share donations that were too large for their exclusive use. Periodically large quantities of perishable donations had to be refused due to logistics. Coordinating on the fly with multiple pantries was time consuming and complicated. Different operating schedules and abilities to transport, store and distribute fresh food promptly were among the obstacles encountered. With financial support from North Penn Community Health Foundation, now HealthSpark Foundation, some of the leaders of these agencies formed a task force to explore and tackle the problems around large scale, fresh food donations. In a broader context, they also began thinking of ways to increase the availability of fresh food to all county pantries.
Since then, MontCo Anti-Hunger Network has addressed hunger and contributed to county food safety net resilience by:
Since then, MontCo Anti-Hunger Network has addressed hunger and contributed to county food safety net resilience by:
- Establishing and building a network of 70+ historically siloed food pantries and free meal providers
- Developing a highly valued, county wide Food Resource Program, providing 860,000+ lbs a year of food
- Coordinating food and funding resources too large for individual food pantries to access
- Identifying and sharing knowledge of best practices in food pantry management and consumer engagement
- Building strategic partnerships that facilitate an effective and coordinated response to hunger
- Catalyzing systems-changing practices that decrease barriers to obtaining food assistance
- Raising hunger awareness among the general public and elected officials
Our Founders
MontCo Anti-Hunger Network was founded by Philabundance, Keystone Opportunity Center, Manna on Main Street, Pottstown Cluster of Religious Communities, and The Open Link.
