Axalta Coating Systems, a leading global supplier of liquid and powder coatings, spent a day in MANNA’s full commercial kitchen in Philadelphia. The Axalta Industrial Coatings team worked together with MANNA to compile and package 800 chicken dinners and 770 turkey burgers for members of the Philadelphia community battling critical illnesses, such as cancer, AIDS, renal and cardiac disease, and diabetes. MANNA’s meals are a vital source of nourishment and nutritional support during patients’ time of medical crisis.

MANNA was founded in 1990 by seven members of the First Presbyterian Church in Philadelphia. Its mission was originally was to help comfort those diagnosed with AIDS at a time when ignorance of AIDS and the stigma associated with the disease was at its height. Often shunned and isolated from family and friends, MANNA was often the only source of love and care patients knew. MANNA meals helped sustain them during the often dark days and lonely nights that followed their diagnosis.

“Working in Philadelphia has made us accessible to many great organizations like MANNA right in our back yard,” said Michael Cash, President of Industrial Coatings. “The Axalta Industrial team plans to continue our engagement by embracing our role in this community and supporting these inspiring, local missions and projects. Aside from helping the community, the experience is also extremely beneficial to us as a team and as a company.”

Today, operating from a renovated 10,000 square foot facility on Ranstead Street in Philadelphia, MANNA brings 65,000 warm and nourishing meals each month to those struggling with a multitude of serious diseases in Southeastern Pennsylvania and southern New Jersey.