Today was a GREAT DAY, as I served today I keep remembering how Manna started and all the people that served.
So many. Seria Rasheed suggested we serve the people living on the streets of Cuyahoga County. Our first meal was January 13, 1996. We only prepared 100 dinners. My brother Anthony, Seria and others delivered the dinners. As we was preparing dinners to pass out in the neighborhood we get a call on a land line. Melvin, we ran out of dinners in a matter of minutes. So we made more.

It was overwhelming to see so many people living on the streets of downtown Cleveland. We had prepared 100 dinners. Then we decided to do more and added another weekend to our feeding. After the first month we were told about the other shelters at 18th Street, Davenport and Salvation Army P.A.S.S (Pickup Assist Shelter Services) all of them for men. We soon learned of the women’s shelters at 30th Euclid and 22nd Payne. The smell and condition of all except P.A.S.S was beyond belief that human beings had to live like this. For the next four years we cooked and delivered dinners from Mt. Gillion Baptist Church.

Names that comes to my mind now after more that 25 years. . Ruby Hughley. Bro. David Sims, Sis. Eleanor Lett, Sis. Mattie Canidate, Sis. Ruby Brumfield , Harriet Byrd, Sis Shirley Sealey, The Hodge Clan Debra, Elijah, Nicole, Jammelle, Melvin III, Taliba E.J.TEE, Jahmal and Na’Kyla. The beginning.

Annette Charles, she joined Manna by way of The Word Church Outreach Ministry. Deacon Ebony was instrumental in getting so many to volunteer. Sisters Janice Ice, Mother Cleo, Joyce Puryear, Jennifer, D.J. Donte’ Gibbs and their crews. Many more some members of The Word.

,Stephen (Steve) Sturgis and Anton Walton for more than five years had my back. Now Monica Fitzgerald and Avery L. Cook has stepped up to ensure MANNA keep supplying a healthy hot meal. If I left your name out blame my head not my heart.

Since 2018 my church supported Manna with a Van, donations and people.

My thought as I was at Bishop Willam M. Cosgrove center, they do GOOD WORKS.