What Celestial Manna Inc does

Celestial Manna Inc is a faith-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit food recovery organization founded in 1986 and headquartered in Waldorf, Maryland (operating across Maryland, Metro DC, Northern Virginia, Las Vegas, Nevada, and Monterey, California). The organization rescues surplus food from grocery stores, restaurants, farms, and manufacturers, then redistributes it through partner organizations including churches, schools, community centers, battered women's shelters, homeless shelters, hospice centers, veterans' residences, and military bases (Ft. Meade, Ft. Belvoir, Ft. Nellis, Creech Air Force Base). Core products include daily food recovery and distribution services, a Virtual Food Drive donation platform, monthly food assistance programs serving 20,000+ people, a Vehicle Donation Program addressing transportation barriers, a Prayer Outreach service, and an annual Holiday Giveaway Event serving 1,700+ individuals in a single day.

The organization operates without proprietary technology, relying on a volunteer-based model with 300+ volunteers contributing more than 38,000 hours annually, supported by 17 paid staff. Infrastructure consists of off-the-shelf digital tools including a Squarespace website, Mailchimp newsletter ('Share in the Harvest News'), PayPal Giving Fund (charity ID 1433335), and ShopRaise affiliate integration. A refrigerated van acquired through Whole Foods Market's 2020 Nourishing Our Neighborhoods program provides capacity for 20,000 pounds of rescued food per week. The organization holds a GuideStar Platinum Seal of Transparency and is a Combined Federal Campaign participant (CFC #76440).

Revenue is generated entirely through donations: individual contributions via bank transfer, credit/debit card, or PayPal (including monthly recurring donors), corporate donations (including Amentum's $200,000 COVID-19 commitment in 2020), in-kind food contributions from grocery partners, and virtual food drive donations. The organization publishes impact-per-dollar benchmarks ($1 = 2.5 meals, $75 = feed a family of four for a month) but provides all assistance free of charge to recipients. Distribution occurs via three channels: direct community distribution at multiple daily sites, a partner organization network of vetted downstream providers, and the virtual food drive platform.

Name

Celestial Manna Inc

Legal name

Celestial Manna Inc

Website

https://celestialmanna.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1986

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Celestial Manna Inc is a faith-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 1986 that recovers surplus food from grocery partners and redistributes it through churches, shelters, and military bases to 20,000+ food-insecure individuals monthly across Maryland, DC, Virginia, Nevada, and California.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Food Recovery and Hunger Relief Services

NAICS

Community Food Services (624210), Community Food Services (62421), Community Food and Housing, and Emergency and Other Relief Services (6242)

SIC

Refuse Systems (4953)

akta.pro primary industry

Food Assistance & Nutrition Relief (Emergency Feeding) (BPAGAAAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Food Waste Reduction & Diversion Services (Donation, Animal Feed, Source Reduction Programs) (EUAIAEAH), Product Take-Back & Reverse Logistics Programs (EUAIANAA)

Keywords

• Food recovery services
• Hunger relief programs
• Food bank operations
• Surplus food redistribution
• Community food assistance

Headquarters

HQ city

Waldorf

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Individual Donations: Donations from individual supporters who contribute via bank account, credit/debit card, or PayPal. Monthly recurring donor community supports ongoing operations.
2. Corporate Donations: Food donations from grocery stores, caterers, restaurants, farms, markets, and manufacturers; monetary donations from corporate partners like Amentum ($200,000 COVID-19 commitment).
3. Virtual Food Drive: Online donation platform where supporters can contribute financially to multiply into meals that nourish hungry families.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Celestial Manna recovers surplus food from grocery stores, restaurants, and farms and redistributes it through partner organizations and direct channels to individuals and families experiencing food insecurity. It complements physical food aid with a Virtual Food Drive donation platform, prayer outreach, an annual holiday giveaway, and a vehicle donation program serving communities across Maryland, Washington D.C., Virginia, Nevada, and California.

Product overview

Celestial Manna is a faith-driven nonprofit food recovery organization operating a single, integrated service model centered on rescuing surplus food and redistributing it to individuals and families in need. The organization operates multiple interconnected programs including food recovery and distribution services, a virtual food drive platform, food assistance at community distribution sites, prayer outreach, volunteer coordination, and an annual holiday giveaway event. Founded in 1986, the organization serves communities across Maryland, Washington DC, Virginia, Nevada, and California, with a goal of nationwide expansion.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Food Recovery and Redistribution Core service that rescues surplus edible food from grocery stores, restaurants, and farms, then redistributes it free of charge through partner organizations and direct channels to individuals and families experiencing food insecurity in MD, DC, VA, NV, and CA.
• Virtual Food Drive Online donation portal through celestialmanna.org that allows individuals and groups to make monetary contributions supporting the organization's food recovery and hunger-relief mission.
• Food Assistance Program Ongoing program providing access to recovered/redistributed food for individuals and families experiencing food insecurity, delivered through partner organizations and community distributions.
• Prayer Outreach Spiritual support service offering prayer alongside food distribution, reflecting Celestial Manna's faith-based mission and providing a ministry dimension distinct from pure food banks.
• Annual Holiday Giveaway Annual recurring event offering food and holiday-season support to community members in need, organized by Celestial Manna each year.
• Vehicle Donation Program Donation-acceptance service enabling individuals to donate vehicles to Celestial Manna, generating funds used to support the organization's hunger-relief mission.

Quantifiable outcome

• Serves 20,000+ people monthly
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered flagship and core.

• Whole Foods MarketflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 7 October 2020Selected as one of 19 community-based food rescue organizations in Nourishing Our Neighborhoods program. Received refrigerated van donation filled with perishable and nonperishable goods. Van enables 20,000 pounds of rescued food per week.
• Ft. Meade Military BasecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDaily food and clothing distribution to families stationed at Ft. Meade Military Base.
• BridgeFeedscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFood distribution partner that distributes fresh produce and groceries to the community.
• Seven Locks Baptist ChurchcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerChurch partner that receives food donations for distribution to congregation and community members.
• Giant FoodcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGrocery store partner donating surplus food for rescue and redistribution to families in need.
• Mom's Organic MarketcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOrganic grocery store partner donating surplus food for rescue and redistribution.
• Battered Women's Shelters in Montgomery County, MDcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSupporting 2 shelters with fresh food deliveries; partnership has been active for more than 26 years.
• Homeless ShelterscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMore than 30% of volunteers deliver food to homeless shelters; outreach has been continuously supported for over 27 years.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Feeding America: Largest U.S. hunger-relief nonprofit, operating a national network of 200+ food banks. Overlaps with Celestial Manna in food recovery and redistribution mission but operates at vastly greater scale and as a federation rather than direct service.

Emerging players

• Move For Hunger: National nonprofit that recovers surplus food during residential and commercial moves. Comparable in food-rescue-from-secondary-sources model and multi-state volunteer mobilization.
• Rock and Wrap It Up!: Anti-hunger nonprofit that recovers surplus food from concerts, sporting events, and entertainment venues. Comparable in food rescue from commercial donors and redistribution to community organizations.

Direct peers

• Martha's Table: DC-based nonprofit providing food, clothing, and education to families in need. Directly comparable in DC Metro geography, mix of food assistance plus wraparound support services, and reliance on donations and volunteers.
• Food Rescue US: National nonprofit that directly transfers excess food from businesses to community organizations serving food-insecure individuals. Closely comparable volunteer-driven, direct food-rescue model with multi-state presence.
• Capital Area Food Bank: Regional food bank serving the Washington DC metro area, distributing millions of pounds of food annually through a partner network. Highly comparable in mission, geographic overlap with Celestial Manna's core DC/MD/VA footprint, and donor/recipient model.
• Manna Food Center: Montgomery County, Maryland-based food assistance nonprofit distributing food to families in need. Directly comparable to Celestial Manna as a community food assistance organization operating in the same Maryland geography with a similar volunteer- and donation-driven model.
• DC Central Kitchen: DC-based nonprofit that recovers surplus food and prepares meals for community distribution, combining food rescue with job training. Comparable in food recovery model, DC geography, and partner-network distribution approach.

Regional players

• Three Square Food Bank: Southern Nevada's primary food bank, comparable to Celestial Manna's Las Vegas operations. Similar food recovery and redistribution model serving food-insecure households via a partner network.
• Foodbank of Santa Clara and San Mateo Counties: Regional food bank serving Northern California. Comparable to Celestial Manna's California (Monterey) operations in food recovery and partner-network distribution, though geographically non-overlapping.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/celestial_manna
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/celestial-manna

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Celestial Manna Inc