Joelle Lang-Fredman
WMAL.com

GAITHERSBURG, Md. — (WMAL) While donations to food banks spike during the holiday season, they still need help after the excitement dies down.

Manna Food Center in Gaithersburg, Maryland, serves 35,000 Montgomery County residents throughout the year and see a higher demand for food during the holidays. They are continuing to collect food as normal to provide for their clients through the next few months, and have also begun collecting holiday-themed food and partnered with the Montgomery County Holiday Giving Project in order to help collect Turkeys for Thanksgiving.

During the holiday season, the center collects a lot of food from local food drives and from people hoping to do some good, Stephanie Hubbard, director of development and communications, said.

While donations pour in through December and the center passes out a large volume of food over the holidays, Hubbard said that not all of the food donated can be given out.

“A lot of people looking for ways to give back will host a food drive, and some of that food we won’t be able to process and get out during the holidays,” Hubbard said. ” When Januarys comes a lot of time we have a lot of food that we need help sorting and processing so we can get it out to our clients throughout the year.”

After the holidays are over, Manna Food Center needs volunteers to help them to continue to provide for needy families.

“As people are thinking about their giving during the holidays we’d like to remind them that come January there is still work to be done,” Hubbard said.

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