John Voorhees – Supporting his community through Manna Ministry

When business shutdowns and shortages of the pandemic caused hardships in their Virginia Beach community, John Voorhees (Virginia Tech ’98) and his family decided that they wanted to dedicate their efforts to help others. 

John was out of work for a few months while the country grappled with the harsh realities of Covid-19, and his family felt the uncertainty in their own household. 

When they connected with families through their church who were also feeling the impact, they began collecting food and other household necessities to distribute to families in need. 

Their efforts blossomed into what would become Manna Ministry of Tidewater.

From humble beginnings…

At the start of the pandemic, families struggled with food security, but food centers were closed. So, John and his church members started giving out food from their own pantries. Then they organized a food drive that filled a truck full of goods. 

After a week of donations, John saw that there was going to be an ongoing need, and people still wanted to give. So he turned his garage into a makeshift warehouse, filling shelves and refrigerators full of food to deliver to families in need. John’s wife Beth, and their four kids were partners in the endeavor, all doing their part.  

The whole community stepped up to the challenge. John said, “Every time there was a need for one of the families, that stuff would show up; that’s how the name Manna Ministry came about.”

Supporting their community and others in need

As the operation continued to grow and support more people, the United Way director and other organizations heard about what they were doing and contacted them to partner in helping their local community. 

John said, “We’ve been graced with the support from a number of generous organizations.” Manna Ministry receives donations from Operation Blessing, Food Rescue, Foodbank, and Trader Joe’s among others. They provide food, produce, hygiene products, detergent and other household needs. The organization also receives individual donations from supporters.

Manna Ministries drivers have now delivered over 250,000 meals throughout the Tidewater Virginia area. They are opening a branch in Oklahoma City, and there are talks to expand to Atlanta and Raleigh.

John said, “We didn’t set out to start a nonprofit, but we have seen what God can do when we’re willing to take a small, seemingly insignificant steps to fill in the gaps for our neighbors. We all have a story to tell and something to give. It’s a privilege and a blessing to watch how God can use our simple efforts joined with the support of our community, family and friends (including our amazing Pilam family) to make a big impact!”

Some uplifting effects on real people

Here are a few examples that John shared about how Manna Ministry affected lives for the better. 

• One family’s children referred to volunteers who delivered food as “the angel people” because they knew they’d have food that week.
• A mother hugged a volunteer delivering laundry detergent because she couldn’t afford it, and her child was being bullied as the “stinky kid” at school.
• Every year they host Christmas and Thanksgiving meals. John said that he regularly sees people return who have improved their station in life, and thank him for helping them through their hard times.

Read more stories at the Manna website.

In addition to delivering food and necessities, the organization employs a social worker who tries to identify the individual needs of families and refer them to available resources that can help, so they can work toward self-sufficiency. John said this was their way of “coming alongside families.”

How Pilam influenced his path

Like many brothers, John thought there was no way he was going to join a fraternity, but after meeting the Pilam brothers he said, “I realized there was something different about this group.” He also liked the principles of the Creed.

He said that Pilam helped him realize, “we’re a part of something beyond ourselves, and that was ingrained in my heart.”

Today, john said he has “a network of 10 or 20 brothers who I can call, who will offer their help for just about anything. That’s not four years, but a lifetime.”

If you’d like to support Brother Voorhees in his mission of providing assistance to those in need, consider making a donation to Manna Ministry.