Thanks to everyone for attending the Gala and supporting our new name! Meeting Essential Needs with Dignity reflects the structural change in the economic basis of poverty and hunger and the work ahead to improve self-sufficiency and bring dignity to our patrons’ lives.

“In recognition of this structural change in the widespread economic basis of poverty and hunger, we find we are no longer Meeting Emergency Needs with Dignity. Sadly, we have outgrown our own name. Instead, our pantries are Meeting Essential Needs, needs that will linger until we find ways to address them at their core. So now for the first time, we are officially announcing we are changing our name… to Meeting ESSENTIAL Needs with Dignity. This is a legal name change and a message MEND’s Board felt it was important to make.”

-Jamie Anthony, Chair of MEND