Manna on Main Street in Lansdale announced last week that it purchased the shuttered Phil’s Tire & Service Center at 10 N. Cannon Avenue on Aug. 16 and will transform it into Manna’s Online Market Hub in the coming months, with an anticipated Summer 2024 opening date.
Sheldon C. Good, director of development and strategic direction for Manna, said the purchase marks a historic moment in the history of Manna and the community: Manna is not only returning to the block where it once stood for four years, but “The Hub” expands Manna’s reach to its households in need.
“The Hub is an innovative $1.27 million project that will dramatically expand Manna’s provision of online ordering and delivery of groceries, allowing us to reach more households facing hunger,” stated Good in a press release. “The location of the Hub continues Manna’s historical presence along Main Street in Lansdale.”
Sen. Maria Collett helped secure a $250,000 state grant to help with the purchase of the property, and furthermore, Manna negotiated a mortgage with Harleysville Bank. In addition, donations and a low-interest loan from HealthSpark Foundation will help go toward renovations of the property.
Good said Manna is not leaving North Penn Commons on East Main Street in Lansdale, where it opened in 2016.
“The establishment of the Hub is an expansion of Manna as we work to serve more people more effectively,” said Good. “Manna’s Market, based in North Penn Commons, provides a dignified place for clients to access free groceries. However, the Market has outgrown its space in North Penn Commons. We cannot serve more people unless we expand into more space.”
The Hub is part of Manna’s 2022-2025 Strategic Plan, launched in March 2022. Good said Manna’s 10-year campaign seeks to double the number of households served by 2031.
According to Manna, the Hub will handle the entire online order fulfillment process, a “one-stop shop where Manna staff assemble online orders for Manna clients to pick up.”
Manna will renovate the building inside and outside, which includes adding ADA parking, accessible restrooms, and a welcoming lobby. Interior concept plans show turning the former service garage bays into storage and splitting the front section of the store along Cannon Avenue into administration offices, a lobby, and a refrigerator and freezer room.
According to Manna, there are more than 4,100 residents in the North Penn region at or below the federal poverty line. Last year, food prices jumped 11.4% and nearly two million people in the state had their SNAP benefits cut in March.
The new Hub and new space means Manna can serve more people. Benefits include expanding fulfillment of online orders of groceries, increasing in-person grocery shopping hours at Manna’s Market, and scaling deliveries of groceries directly to homes in the North Penn region.
Thus, Manna’s Market at North Penn Commons will expand in-person shopping hours because the space will no longer be needed to fulfill online orders, Good said.
“We envision Manna’s Market significantly expanding its hours, more closely mirroring a traditional grocery store, rather than the two-hour, five days a week shopping times we currently provide,” he said.
The Hub will also feature kiosks, in addition to online ordering via mobile or PC, for those households with limited access to digital devices or need assistance with ordering, Good said.
See also:
Manna Launches Partnership with North Penn Police Departments to Provide Food Bags to People in Need
Manna on Main Street, ACLAMO Launch Partnership to Reach Latino Households in Need of Service
Manna on Main Street Celebrates 40 Years Serving North Penn Community
Last Chance to Register for Manna’s Race to End Hunger, Event Scheduled for April 2
Online 'Auction To End Hunger' Benefits Manna on Main Street
