Manna in Bangor is badly in need of baked beans, in smaller cans for the food pantry, and larger cans for the soup kitchen.

Baked beans were a staple in my house growing up. Each weekend, we'd either have my Dad's homemade beans, or we'd open a couple of cans of B&M Baked beans. Some hot dogs and hot rolls, and we had a warm and satisfying family dinner!

At Manna in Bangor, beans are also a staple. They serve them up in their soup kitchen (although I'm not sure if it's a weekend tradition there, as well), and they include cans of beans when handing out bags of groceries. Beans are easy to fix, tasty, and a great source of fiber.

I got a call this week from Bill Rae, the Executive Director at Manna, who told me he got a surprise when he walked into the storage area because there was only ONE can of beans on the shelf. He said that never happens! Well....it had never happened before this week. He said the pantry has been blessed this year with fresh fruits and vegetables but, apparently, has been sorely missing out on donations of beans.

So now, Bills says, they're asking for the public's help. Donations of beans are badly needed. He says they need the regular-sized cans to give out in those bags of groceries. And they also need the #10 cans to be used in the food pantry.

Donations can be dropped off at Manna, 629 Main Street in Bangor 24/7. Let's help make sure our less fortunate neighbors can enjoy their own weekend tradition with a New England classic...baked beans!

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