Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ’s)
1. QUESTION: The website links for Pickup and Distro Reports are gone, where are they now?
ANSWER: These links are for internal use only and were removed from public view for security reasons. Effective June 1, 2020, Coordinators and Drivers must now go to www.CelestialManna.org/submit
2. QUESTION: I submitted a Volunteer Info Form a year or two. Must I again?
ANSWER: Yes, starting in April 2020 everyone must commit (or-re-commit) to serving as a Celestial Manna volunteer, regardless of job description of driver, coordinator, staff, or serving on the board of directors.
3. QUESTION: How is Celestial Manna organized?
Celestial Mana is a Maryland nonprofit corporation. It was started in 1986 and gained its IRS nonprofit 501(c)(3) status in 2003. It has a Board of Directors, an Executive Director, and three main groups: Communications, Operations, and Finance. More details and an organizational chart can be found at:
https://www.celestialmanna.org/volunteer
4. QUESTION: What are the cryptic names on the Pick-up Report at the bottom of the “location” drop-down?
ANSWER: They refer to sources of food that are not restaurants or grocery stores. They fall into three categories, Manna Food Center, Food Banks, and Celestial Manna mini- warehouses located in churches.
5. QUESTION: What does CAFB mean?
CAFB stands for Capital Area Food Bank. With donations and grant money, we buy shelf-stable items like canned goods, kid’s drink boxes, pancake mix and other items that are rarely donated.
6. QUESTION: Where is CAFB in Washington DC?
Only authorized and trained Celestial Manna staff have shopping privileges at the main Capital Area Food Bank location, 4900 Puerto Rico Ave NE, Washington, DC 20017. They serve DC, and in Maryland, Montgomery and Prince George’s counties.
7. QUESTION: Where is CAFB in Northern Virginia?
Only authorized and trained Celestial Manna staff have shopping privileges at the Capital Area Food Bank warehouse, 6833 Hill Park Drive, Lorton, VA 22079. They serve Alexandria, Fairfax and Prince William counties.
8. QUESTION: What does MFC mean?
ANSWER: MFC stands for Manna Food Center in Montgomery County, Maryland. With donations and grant money, we buy produce from them, hence the designation “MFC – Produce”. Typical items that are purchased are cabbage, carrots, onions, potatoes, and sweet potatoes to supplement what we are recovering from restaurants and stores.
9. QUESTION: Where is Manna Food Center?
ANSWER: MFC is located at 9311 Gaither Road, Gaithersburg, MD 20877. Only authorized and trained Celestial Manna staff have shopping privileges there.
10. QUESTION: Where is MFC - CAFB?
Capital Area Food Bank has a close relationship with Manna Food Center in Gaithersburg. Orders placed with CAFB-DC are often drop-shipped at MFC.
11. QUESTION: Can I pick up food from MFC or CAFB?
ANSWER: In general, no. You need a box or pickup truck that can accommodate one or more pallets; orders are sometimes in the thousands of pounds. Food is loaded into vehicles with a fork lift at loading dock level and then delivered to a Celestial Manna Warehouse where Coordinators or their Minutemen can go. All MFC and CAFB food is ordered in advance by Celestial Manna staff with advice from Coordinators.
12. QUESTION: What is MFB - Balt?
ANSWER: The Maryland Food Bank has three locations that serve all of Maryland except for Montgomery and Prince George’s counties. Celestial Manna has a large presence in the region stretching from Baltimore to Annapolis so we have applied to be a partner of the MFB.
13. QUESTION: What is CFAP?
ANSWER: The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) has a Coronavirus Food Assistance Program (CFAP) that was announced on April 17, 2020, by U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue. For general information about this program, click on the link below.
https://lambertdrl.wordpress.com/2020/05/23/what-is-cfap/
14. QUESTION: How does USDA – CFAP, MD work?
ANSWER: Family Food Boxes are ordered by authorized and trained Celestial Manna staff for direct delivery to addresses in Maryland. Note, however, that tractor-trailers cannot go into residential neighborhoods. The minimum delivery amount is 25 boxes.
15. QUESTION: How does USDA – CFAP, VA work?
ANSWER: Family Food Boxes are ordered from CAFB-NOVA by authorized and trained Celestial Manna staff. The boxes are delivered only to pre-approved locations in Northern Virginia. The minimum delivery amount is a pallet of 63 boxes. At present, only full pallets can be ordered in Northern Virginia.
16. QUESTION: What is BRAFB?
ANSWER: The Blue Ridge Area Food Bank, BRAFB, has warehouses in the western parts of Virginia. They serve the counties of Culpeper, Fauquier, Fredrick, Rockingham, and Winchester.
17. QUESTION: I am located west of Dulles Airport and want Family Food Boxes. Why can’t I get them?
ANSWER: You are beyond the service area of CAFB-NOVA. BRAFB has a branch warehouse in Winchester, Virginia, hence the designation BRAFB-W. Celestial Manna is working on applying to be a member agency of BRAFB.