I said I couldn't image macaroni and cheese mixed with water. The woman sighed, looked me in the eye and told me it was clear I had never really been hungry. George LeBard, Project MANA's executive director, responded that the hunger isn't the swollen belly malnutrition witnessed in Africa and other third-world countries but, yes, there is hunger in our community. Every night, here in the Tahoe basin, people go to bed hungry. Children are fed candy bars to fill their stomachs because healthy food is not available.
Parents feed their children and eat nothing for themselves.
Children on free or reduced lunch at school don't get those nutritious meals during holidays or summer break. Project MANA distributes food, assists with budgeting and refers families to other organizations that can help them obtain a basic level of subsistence. Project MANA staff believe food is a basic right of humanity and that their job is to help families break the cycles of hunger and poverty. A person or family can get food six times just by coming into one of Project MANA's offices or distribution points. After that, family members meet with a Project MANA staff person to review their situation and look for ways for the family to achieve more stability.