It all started with a peanut butter and jelly sandwich and a cup of soup.

In 1976, a member of the local community approached Reverend Jim Lewis and told him he was hungry. Unsure where else to turn and urgently in need of food, he thought the priest might help him out. The Reverend didn’t know much about the man, but that didn’t matter. He grabbed what ingredients he had on hand, then whipped up the quickest meal he could. The man left happily and with a full belly, and Manna Meal Inc. was born.

Today, Manna Meal is a vital part of the community, run by the community. Our soup kitchen, located inside the former Garnet Career Center location at 422 Dickinson St. in Charleston, WV, serves as many as 400 people well-balanced, nutritious meals daily. That’s breakfast and lunch, 365 days a year, holidays included. In our nearly half-a-century of service, we’ve never missed a meal.

As much as we’ve grown over the years, though, the initial spirit of our founding remains at the center of everything we do: to provide nourishment, or “manna,” to the hungry, and not just in the form of food. For many, Manna Meal’s philosophy of “no questions asked” makes it a crucial source of sustenance, connection, and even healing. Whether it’s a hot meal on a cold day, or a judgement-free space and friendly smile, Manna Meal can be counted on to be there.

We opened our food pantry in 2007, prompted by a need expressed by many of our guests for food that would carry them through dinnertime. At first the pantry was stocked solely with donated items, but as demand grew, we began purchasing food and turned it into a choice food pantry. Our pantry, located inside St. John’s Episcopal Church, is open daily from 7am–2pm, 365 days a year. It is the only food pantry in Charleston that is open on weekends.

Following a devastating fire at the Family Dollar on Charleston’s West Side—the primary grocery store for many food insecure residents—in March 2021, Manna Meal also initiated a mobile food pantry in partnership with Covenant House, KVC West Virginia, and WV Health Right to ensure community access to food. What started as a critical emergency relief effort has evolved into a regular food pantry that will serve the West Side community as long as the need exists.

We provide food for people experiencing food insecurity—wherever and whenever they need it.

Our garden flourishes thanks to our volunteers.

Manna Meal’s garden is a true product of our volunteers.

In 2009, volunteer Myra Dolan proposed creating a community garden where we could grow fresh, nourishing, quality food for our soup kitchen and food pantry. Although it has changed homes since its inception—now residing at Rock Lake Community Life Center—the garden continues to flourish. Thanks to the ongoing commitment and hard work of our volunteers and the support of our community, our garden yields upwards of 3,000 pounds of lettuce, swiss chard, tomatoes, spinach, peppers, onions, green beans, garlic, radishes, and watermelon each year.

The Manna Meal Community Garden is in memory of Tari Crouse, Judy Lewis, and Eva Brabbin, dedicated volunteers and gardeners.

Interested in volunteering at the garden? Learn more here.