NEWS RELEASE 12/16/09 

Financial Accounting Foundation Employees Lend a Helping Hand at the Manna House of Hospitality in Norwalk

Norwalk, CT, December 16, 2009—For most of the work week, employees of the Financial Accounting Foundation (FAF) are focused on setting accounting standards. Recently, however, they can also be found helping to prepare and serve hearty meals to visitors of the Manna House of Hospitality in Norwalk. Operated by the Norwalk Emergency Shelter at 4 Merritt Street, Manna House is a fully equipped, volunteer-manned soup kitchen available to all members of the community in need.

Small teams of about twelve employees volunteer for the Friday lunch shift during certain weeks that the FAF is scheduled to purchase, prepare, and serve hot meals to Manna House clients. Setting tables and serving hot meals may be a bit of a departure for employees usually engaged in solving complex accounting issues, admits FAF Human Resources Vice President Robert Kalina, but it’s one that they enthusiastically support.

“Employees have been telling us they want to support the local community through a volunteer project,” said Mr. Kalina. “After researching ways for our employees to make the greatest positive impact, there was no question that, given the current economic crisis, Manna House had a real need for additional support.” As a result, the FAF provides the food, and staff members at all levels—ranging from part-timers all the way to the chairman of FAF’s Board of Trustees—help prepare and serve it to Manna House clients.

The support couldn’t have come at a better time. According to the website of the Norwalk Emergency Shelter, which operates Manna House, the soup kitchen is currently serving over 76,000 meals per month. Many of those meals are being served to underemployed workers in Fairfield County who are having difficulty living on their minimal earnings in this affluent area. The meals they receive from Manna House free up their funds to pay for other necessities such as rent, utilities, transportation, and family needs.

“As part of the Norwalk business community, FAF sought to participate in an activity that would facilitate employee team building while supporting a local cause,” stated FAF President Terri Polley. “Through the Manna House of Hospitality, the Norwalk Emergency Shelter is meeting a critical need for many families in our area who have been hurt by the current economic climate, and we wanted to support that effort in a meaningful way.”

FAF employees have been volunteering on select Fridays at Manna House since October.

“We really appreciate the support of the FAF to help us serve so many who come to us in need,” said Carole Antonetz, executive director of the Norwalk Emergency Shelter.

“The experience at Manna House has been so positive for our employees and the organization as a whole that we fully intend to continue with a community initiative in the coming year,” added Ms. Polley.

For more information about volunteering at the Norwalk Emergency Shelter or the Manna House of Hospitality, call 203-866-1057.


About the Norwalk Emergency Shelter

The Norwalk Emergency Shelter is located at 4 Merritt Street in South Norwalk, Connecticut, where it has 95 beds. It provides emergency shelter for men, women, and families, as well as operates on premises a breakfast, lunch, and dinner soup kitchen called the “Manna House of Hospitality.” Through the Manna House soup kitchen, the shelter serves over 76,000 meals per month. The shelter’s hours are from 4:30 PM to 9:00 AM for single residents and 24 hours a day for families. It is open seven days a week. 

About the Financial Accounting Foundation

The FAF is responsible for the oversight, administration, and finances of both the Financial Accounting Standards Board and its counterpart for state and local government, the Governmental Accounting Standards Board. The FAF also is responsible for selecting the members of both Boards and their respective Advisory Councils.