Our Story: In late 2013, the Pottstown Cluster Outreach Center got a call from a large grocery store that wanted to donate over 1000 gallons of milk. Pottstown Cluster took what they could store and then reached out to other organizations to see if they could take the remaining donation.
Coordinating with other pantries on such short notice proved to be a challenge. Handling nutritious product like milk required time-consuming logistics, such as corresponding with pantries to see who was open, who had access to a vehicle to safely transport perishable foods, and who had the refrigeration space to store it. In the end, the remainder of the donation had to be declined.
This was not an isolated incident. The anti-hunger organizations involved had been dealing with these situations frequently across the county; especially with nutritious perishables like milk that had to be stored carefully and distributed quickly. These groups wanted to create a better system: a coalition of food providers who work together to maximize the acquisition and distribution of nutritious food to those in need. Thus the MontCo Anti-Hunger Network (MAHN) was born.
Our Founders: MAHN was founded by are CADCOM, Catholic Social Services, Keystone Opportunity Center, Manna on Main Street, The Open Link, Philabundance, and Pottstown Cluster of Religious Communities. Funding is provided by HealthSpark Foundation.