By Elisabeth Costanzo Stewart

When renovations began for SUNY Broome’s Culinary & Event Center (CEC) in 2016, the team behind the restorative initiative dreamed that the CEC would serve as the community’s hub for all things hospitality. They envisioned that the once decaying Carnegie Library would transform into a state-of-the-art culinary school, premier event space, and neighborhood gathering center in the heart of downtown. Almost a decade later, those hopes are flourishing realities. 

A beautiful example of “the community’s hub for all things hospitality” vision coming to life is the current tenant in residence in the CEC’s professional development kitchen. Five days a week, MANNA Executive Chef Scott Bombard, and his small, but mighty team arrive at the CEC at dawn to prepare 1,000-1,500 fresh meals per week for members of the community experiencing food insecurity. With the upcoming holiday, Bombard and his team have been working around the clock to roast turkeys, mash potatoes, and prep vegetables to meet their goal of delivering 2,000 hearty, pre-portioned Thanksgiving meals by Wednesday. 

Making Abundant Nourishment Neighborhood Accessible, better known as MANNA, is an extension of the Broome County’s Council of Churches’ response to community hunger. Established in spring 2025, MANNA prepares nutritionally balanced, fully-cooked, pre-packaged meals for distribution throughout the region. Understanding that many members of the community lack access to both ingredients and preparation spaces, the organization focuses its efforts on providing accessibility to refrigerated, ready-to-eat options. 

After recovering ingredients from Community Hunger Outreach Warehouse (CHOW) and community donors, the MANNA team returns to the CEC to prep, cook, cool, portion, and label as many as 1,500 meals. These breakfasts, lunches, and dinners are then distributed to more than 45 food pantries across three counties by the organization’s distribution specialist, Micah Genung. Thanks to Genung’s complex database, refrigerated meals are delivered to coincide with each pantry’s unique hours of operation, ensuring the widest reach of service.

Each meal is intentionally packaged with nutritional and allergen information, ingredient lists, and reheating instructions. MANNA also offers a service that crafts fresh, medically tailored meals based on the specific needs of each recipient. This program includes direct home delivery of a weeks’ worth of breakfasts, lunches, dinners, and pantry staples. 

Members of the community looking to support MANNA’s efforts can purchase fresh pre-packaged meals at Greater Good Grocery in Binghamton. Via a pay-it-forward approach, the purchase of one meal for $7.50 funds two free community meals. 

The collaboration between MANNA and the CEC has turned out to be an essential partnership, during a time of urgent need within the community.

“Working out of the Professional Development Kitchen at the CEC has been great,” Bombard shared. “Logistically, it’s ideal to be downtown, and having access to an industrial kitchen on our timeline has been wonderful.”

MANNA always accepts donations. Whether you’d like to support the mission financially, donate ingredients, or volunteer to work in the kitchen, the team appreciates your interest. Contact Us Volunteer Opportunities in Binghamton, NY | Broome County Council of Churches