“Nobody Cares.”
Those were the words scribbled on the wall of a horse stall at the La Plata County Fairgrounds by a hungry woman in the winter of 1985. Tragically, the woman died of starvation there, but her death launched a movement: community members began providing food to the hungry in a church parking lot. That movement became Manna, and more than four decades later, its staff, volunteers, and guests are still stepping up to address those words on that wall.
On weekday mornings at Manna, you can see the buzz of activity as volunteers prep meals while others hand out food to guests at the Take-Out Window. Inside the Manna Resource Center, between 75 and 150 people a day shop the no-cost food market, take a shower, pick up mail, or meet with a case manager. Out back, a garden grows thousands of pounds of produce each year, with crops chosen by the people who shop the market.
Co-executive director Marissa Hunt first walked through Manna's doors as a newcomer to Durango in 2017. "When people come to Manna, they're likely experiencing a challenging life circumstance," she says. "We offer a safe, hospitable environment for people who may be coming to us in distress."
Sometimes, people who come for help return to give back. Last year, a student from Thailand enrolled in Manna's five-week Culinary Training Program. This summer, she returned to teach a Thai cooking class for the program that helped her.
Fran Hecht has volunteered at Manna for about 16 years, long enough to remember the "old Manna." What keeps her coming back is a sense of belonging. "You aren’t just a volunteer," she says. "You are part of something bigger."
Recently, Fran ran into a woman she's known through Manna for years who once struggled with alcohol. The woman shared that she has been sober for nearly two years. "And we cried together," Fran says. "Being in a place where I have been able to develop relationships with people I would never have crossed paths with in my life has been really meaningful."
Hunt sees similar bonds among Manna's younger staff and retiree volunteers, friendships built on "shared compassion, care for community, and hearts for service."
Dennis Clark arrived in Durango this spring and asked around for a place to volunteer. Everyone recommended Manna. In the kitchen, he noticed that guests were treated with respect and often said thanks. "No one should take Manna for granted," he says. "And I don't think anyone who knows it does."
Gratitude can be simple. One senior who lives in her van shared that she dries the herbs from Manna's garden to use throughout the winter, "so, even when I have few ingredients available, my food still tastes good."
Volunteers feel it, too. Fran is thankful for the chance to touch people's lives in a meaningful way, in a place where, she says, "There are no questions asked. You are always welcome." Dennis adds, "I'm grateful to be a small part of it."
Since 2020, Manna has hosted the Durango Community Thanksgiving as a grab-and-go event, distributing about 1,000 meals in four hours. This year, for the first time since 2019, the community will sit down together. The meal returns to the La Plata County Fairgrounds from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. on Thanksgiving Day, with enough food for 1,400 guests. Churches and community partners are contributing stuffing, pies, and salad, and Vineyard Church volunteers will deliver 300 additional meals to rural residents.
It's a fitting homecoming. On the same fairgrounds where one woman once wrote that nobody cared, an entire community will gather around the table to prove otherwise.
As Fran puts it, "We just have to show up."
Volunteer or donate at mannasoupkitchen.org or follow @mannadurango. Winter coats, gloves, sleeping bags, and blankets are especially needed.
"There are no questions asked. You are always welcome."
— Fran Hecht, longtime Manna volunteer