Ingles and MANNA team up for 21st year to light the 10-ton Ingles Giving Tree

Press Release

From MANNA FoodBank

Asheville, NC, November 11, 2013: Ingles and MANNA FoodBank are pleased to invite the community to the 21st lighting of the Ingles Giving Tree at the Asheville Mall on Monday, November 25th, 2013 from 5 to 7 p.m.

The Ingles Giving Tree is a 10-ton “can-struction” of non-perishable food items donated by Ingles Markets. The tree is constructed and decorated by MANNA staff and volunteers in a marathon effort that takes place the weekend before Thanksgiving. The celebratory lighting follows on Monday with Mrs. Laura Ingle in attendance to light the tree Holiday music will be provided by Reynolds High School Woodwind Quintet and the Bell Elementary School Chorus.

This year there will be a drawing for a $500 Ingles gift card on Wednesday, November 27th. In order to be entered in the drawing, individuals must bring an Ingles bag full of non-perishable food items to the Giving Tree on the 25 or 26th of November.

The Ingles Giving Tree is made possible not only by donation from Ingles Markets, but through the generous spirit of Western North Carolina. This year Ingles will be offering Giving Tree icons at the registers of all their stores through MANNA’s 16 county service area. These icons will be available from November 17th –November 30th for a $1 donation to MANNA. Ingles will match donations made to this holiday season to MANNA to $25,000. MANNA FoodBank is able provide food for 3 meals with every dollar donated.

“In 2012, MANNA distributed enough food to provide 1,000 meals an hour, every hour of the day, for every day of the year throughout Western North Carolina,” said MANNA FoodBank executive director Cindy Threlkeld. “This would not be possible without the strong support of corporate partners like Ingles or the generosity of donors and volunteers. We celebrate these acts of kindness every year when we light the Giving Tree.”

About MANNA FoodBank
MANNA FoodBank is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization serving Western North Carolina since 1983. As an accredited member of Feeding America, the nation’s largest domestic hunger relief organization, the mission of MANNA FoodBank is to involve, educate, and unite people in the work of ending hunger in Western North Carolina. MANNA serves 221 non-profit member agencies in 16 Western North Carolina counties and distributed more than 11 million pounds of food in 2012. To view MANNA’s Annual Report for 2012, or for more information, visit MANNAFoodbank.org or call 828-299-FOOD.

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About Hayley Benton
Current freelance journalist and artist. Former culture/entertainment reporter at the Asheville Citizen-Times and former news reporter at Mountain Xpress. Also a coffee drinker, bad photographer, teller of stupid jokes and maker-upper of words. I can be reached at hayleyebenton [at] gmail.com. Follow me @HayleyTweeet

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