News

Pensacola, FL (November 23, 2022) – The 15th Annual Fill the Mayflower food and funds drive – presented by Coastal Moving and Storage and benefitting Manna Food Bank – was a success, raising the equivalent of 80,000 healthy meals for neighbors in need in Escambia and Santa Rosa counties! Food collected during Fill the Mayflower at Cordova Mall – Manna’s largest multi-day food drive of the year – will be distributed through Manna’s pantry and food security programs in the two-county area.

“Fill the Mayflower 2022 raised the food and funds we need to feed the hungry in the coming months, when we expect requests for food assistance to increase,” said DeDe Flounlacker, Executive Director of Manna. “We are so grateful to the Northwest Florida community for generously supporting this event and continuing to show an amazing capacity to help those in need.”

In the past 12 months, Manna distributed more than 554,000 pounds of food to 69,095 people – a 122% increase over the year prior. Record inflation, global conflict, and subsequent rises in food costs, housing costs, and utility costs, as well as the lingering effects of the pandemic, have all contributed to a sharp increase in food requests. Food and funds collected at Fill the Mayflower will assist Manna in meeting the need.

“Fifteen years ago, Jay and Jennifer Bradshaw, owners of Coastal Moving and Storage, created this event and since, they have made millions of meals possible for children, senior citizens, veterans, families, and individuals in need,” said Flounlacker. “Their generous support, along with our media sponsors at Cat Country, NewsRadio, and WEAR, make this event possible, and we simply can’t thank them enough!”