BANGOR, Maine — Despite its financial woes, Manna Ministries is moving forward with its effort to provide the makings of a Thanksgiving meal to thousands of area families.
What is changing, however, is that the Bangor-based social services organization won’t be hosting its traditional sit-down meal, Executive Director Bill Rae said Thursday.
Instead, Manna will be teaming up with CityReach Church to provide Thanksgiving meals at CityReach’s building at 127 Hammond St., the former Bangor YMCA.
Nicole Gudroe of CityReach and Rae said this week that they expect at least 200 people — likely many more — to turn out for the meal, set from noon to 3 p.m. on Thanksgiving Day.
Because CityReach does not yet have kitchen facilities, volunteers are being asked to bring cooked and carved turkeys that will be kept hot in crockpots and side dishes that can be kept warm in chafing dishes, said Gudroe, the church’s event coordinator.
Rae said Manna will provide turkeys, gravy and volunteer power to the effort.
As of the Friday before Thanksgiving, Manna was growing closer to meeting its goal of gathering 5,000 turkeys to distribute to those in need but was still seeking donations of turkeys, gift cards or both, Rae said.
A turkey drive for Manna by the Bangor radio station Z107.3 exceeded its goal Thursday of collecting 2,016 birds for Manna — ending its annual campaign with a total of 2,414, according to a post on its website.
According to Rae, Manna is retrenching after a number of financial problems came to light this spring. The faith-based nonprofit defaulted on a pair of mortgages, and Machias Savings Bank took over its former 35,000-square-foot headquarters on Main Street, selling it at auction in October.
Manna now is renovating a smaller building on Center Street for its new home, but until it is ready for occupancy, it is operating its soup kitchen out of the Union Street Brick Church.
“Financially, we’re just starting to climb out of a hole,” Rae said.
“Over on Center Street, we still have a lot of work to do, and trying to get volunteers to come and help us do it is difficult to do. I put the word out over the weekend because we needed some painters and people to hang some sheetrock, and we didn’t get any help. There’s only mainly two of us,” he said, adding that the other person was a volunteer.
“We cut back all employees,” he said. “In fact, I don’t get paid that much anymore because we just can’t afford it. We’re putting the money into getting rid of debts. Right now it’s Thanksgiving time, and we’re trying to raise turkeys.”
Rae said some donations are coming in but that he would have to wait and see how the nonprofit would do over the holidays before determining whether it could keep operating or not.
“It’s difficult to do, but I think that we’re going to rise up out of the place we are in, and it’s going to be OK. It’s just going to take some time and for people to have some faith in us,” Rae said. “We’re working hard to keep the integrity the way it is and build a new level of integrity with the community.”
To contribute to the Thanksgiving effort, visit Manna’s offices at 100 Center St. from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Friday or call 852-5635.