He's the manager of the Community Kitchen and with his crew he prepares a nutritious hot meal four times a week for low-income and homeless people in Mountain View. McManamy depends to a great extent on the generosity of volunteers and community donations to run the program, which feeds 80 to l00 people every night at the facility at The First Presbyterian Church of Mountain View.
Even when things are running smoothly, that's a large task. But when a catastrophe occurs like the one that recently took place it can be even more of a challenge. Someone broke into the kitchen and destroyed more than $1,000 worth of frozen meat and produce, leaving the kitchen littered with spoiling food.
In the aftermath of the break-in, while dealing with his own anger at this senseless act that hurt so many vulnerable people, McManamy and his crew had to keep serving dinner. There were people in need that had no other source of food.
The staff at CSA began calling restaurants and stores for immediate donations of supplies. "The response was just overwhelming," McManamy said. He listed restaurants and stores ranging from Armadillo Willy's to PRICE/COSTCO.
One of his longtime donors, the Golden Wok restaurant, continued to pitch in as restaurant employees have done every week for the past several years. Catering manager Mike Clayton, coming to the kitchen one recent afternoon with a big batch of Golden Wok food, says, "It's just the right thing to do." He'd been bringing the restaurant's donated food to the kitchen for a year and a half, but after the break-in, "I felt even closer to these people," he said.
The plight of the Kitchen and its clients made him and others even more aware of the need and more eager to help.
The Community Kitchen always welcomes donations and volunteer assistance. For more information, call Community Services Agency at 968-0836.