Manny’s Celebrates Three Year Anniversary on Monday, November 8
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Manny’s Celebrates Three Year Anniversary on Monday, November 8 With a Carnival!
Community Space and Café for Fostering Community Dialogue To Focus on Expanding Democratic Majorities in the House and Senate for 2022 Midterms Next Year
26 October 2021 – San Francisco, CA: One year since the election of Joe Biden and Kamala Harris and one year to go until the mid-term elections, Manny’s celebrates its third birthday on Monday, November 8 in political circus ringleader fashion. (3092 16th Street at Valencia, San Francisco www.welcometomannys.com)
“We are marking our third anniversary in style with our first ever political carnival! It will be exactly one year out from the 2022 midterm elections and what better way to call attention to it then with a live petting zoo, balloon animals, cotton candy, dunk tank with local politicians and political drag,” says Manny Yekutiel, 31, who founded and runs the eponymous community engagement space and café. “Come celebrate and get ready to get involved over the next year!”
In attendance for the dunk tank will be Supervisor Myrna Melgar, Supervisor Hillary Ronen, Supervisor Matt Haney, Former Supervisor David Campos, President of the Small Business Commission Sharky Laguana, and President of the Entertainment Commission Ben Bleiman.
Since opening its doors on Election Night 2018, Manny’s has become an epicenter of community involvement, dialogue and civic engagement having served over 50,000 people, staged over 1,000 events, donated space to more than 250 area nonprofits and charities and become “the Iowa of California” (KCBS Radio) by hosting 17 presidential candidates. Also, besides receiving copious media and public attention, Manny’s was recognized for his above-and-beyond achievements by the California State Senate as “Small Business of the Year.”
“In addition, the 2nd Annual Manny’s Doer Award will be given to a local unsung hero,” said Yekutiel noting that last year, the inaugural award went to Melba Maldonado from La Raza Community Resource Center.
“Creating a central place for folks to go to become better informed and more involved citizens, has been the core of our mission since the beginning,” said Yekutiel. “My father came to North America with 23 dollars in his pocket and little English, originally from Afghanistan. He pumped gas, sold coffee on the street of Sudbury in below freezing temperatures, and worked the assembly line at a refrigerator plant, eventually saving up enough to open up a restaurant with his brother. My mother’s family, immigrants from Poland and Russia, owned a small grocery store in Brooklyn. Small business is in my blood. I was raised in a small business household and I’m proud of the hard work that both of my parents set as an example.”
“By the Numbers” About Manny’s 1st Three Years
• Over 75,000 cups of coffee and tea sold
• 50,000 people attended and engaged in our civic programming
• $200,000 raised for local non-profits
• 7,600 free cups of coffee and tea given out to those who can’t afford it
• 1254 people participated in Manny’s ‘pay if forward’ program to fund the above
• Over 1,000 civic events and gatherings hosted in the space
• 450 individual sponsors who support the space’s programming monthly
• Over 250 number of local organizations and non-profit given free or low cost space
• 23 Members of Congress have visited Manny’s
• 17 Presidential candidates have visited Manny’s
• 34 formerly homeless or incarcerated individuals now have full time job via Manny’s non-profit training kitchen
• 16 hours of continuous reading of the Mueller report at Manny’s
• 16 debate watch parties hosted in the space
• 3 years in operation
Manny’s is a people powered, community focused meeting and learning place in the heart of San Francisco that combines a restaurant, political bookshop, and civic events space. Manny’s goal: to create a central and affordable place to become a better informed and more involved citizen. Manny’s offers its events space to nonprofits, activists and civic organizations to spread their message and do their work as well as hosting its own civic and arts related programming. Manny’s kitchen is run by the non-profit, Farming Hope, which hires formerly homeless and formerly incarcerated individuals and trains them in the food skills needed to work in the restaurant industry.