Manna House offers good reason to start a three day weekend early

RINCON, Ga. (WTOC) - The Manna House Food Pantry and Thrift Store in Rincon was in desperate need of help.

“We need about $20,000 in funding to come in to meet our operation needs every month and it has not been there,” says Manna House assistant director Liz Quarterman.

So far, 2023 has been rough for the Manna House in Rincon.

Falling behind and struggling to find their way in the absence of their leader and friend Lisa Bush.

“Our director has been sick, as most people know, since January. She was our spokesperson, she was our face, our smile that was out there getting the word out about what we do here,” Quarterman says.

Looking for a solution to help fill the void, they decided to do something new.

“A three-day (sale) weekend for people to come out.”

To their surprise, they did.

“We were all in tears because we were seeing the people just lined up out there. We’ve not seen people come out on a Thursday like this, never, never like this. This is unbelievable, it is so surprising but awesome at the same time to see people turn out and make purchases,” Quarterman says.

One of those people making purchases Thursday, Shirley Gillison.

“I just love it. You find great sales and support. Always learn to give back to your community. I came all the way from Estill South Carolina, and I enjoy coming down here.”

When she found out this was just a first of three days, “when I go home, I’m going to spread the news. There’s going to be trails coming from Estill down here to shop.”

So, although they’ve had a rough stretch, seeing their community come out Thursday is a firm reminder that they aren’t alone and the work they do on a daily basis hasn’t gone unseen.

“We love what we do here, and we do impact a lot of people. Our thrift store allows us to be able to have the impact on people’s lives with food and furnishing and many ways. We just thank the community for their support in the past and we need that support moving forward,” says Quarterman.

Again, Thursday was just the first of their three-day weekend sale.

They will be open Friday and Saturday from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Copyright 2023 WTOC. All rights reserved.