Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank Hosting Drive
WILKINSBURG, Pa. — The Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank is hosting a drive-up food distribution event in Wilkinsburg this weekend.
On Saturday, the event is at 333 Lincoln Highway at the intersection of Penn and North Trenton avenues. It begins at 11 a.m. and runs until 1 p.m.
You need to make a reservation in advance. Click here for more.
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First published on August 27, 2020 / 10:45 PM
The Pandemic Had Forced All Events To Be Drive
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The pandemic had forced all events to be drive-up only
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The pandemic had forced all events to be drive-up only
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PITTSBURGH
Over the summer, the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank resumed walk-in food distribution events.
This comes after the COVID-19 pandemic forced food distributions to go to a drive-up style, where volunteers and National Guard troops would place pre-packaged boxes in people’s trunks. It was a socially-distanced way to quickly get food to families, at a time when many found themselves in need.
“It was easy to just put the boxes in the car, but it really limits the choices that customers are seeing,” said Rachel Martone, the Foodbank’s Distribution Coordinator.
She often works at the walk-in distributions, which happen several times a month.
“A lot of folks are really happy to be back,” she said. “They are folks who came to these distributions pre-pandemic.”
The walk-ins historically have been in more urban areas, which don’t have the space for the cars that come with drive-up events.
To be clear, the drive-up events are staying as well. The Foodbank has a list of times and dates for both types of locations, in Allegheny County and beyond, on its website. The next event is a walk-up site at Schenley Plaza in Oakland on Wednesday, Sept. 7, from 3:30-5:30 p.m.
Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank Holds Another Emergency Drive
Pittsburgh food bank holding emergency drive-up distribution Monday Pittsburgh food bank holding emergency drive-up distribution Monday
DUQUESNE, Pa. An unprecedented number of people in our area have resorted to the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank since the coronavirus pandemic triggered widespread layoffs.
Officials there tell Channel 11 its so critical, theyve seen a fivefold increase in people desperate for food. At a food distribution event Monday, there were 861 vehicles in three hours.
To date, the Food Bank has served 5,970 vehicles at emergency distributions since its COVID-19 response began.
Have questions about the spread of the coronavirus? We have an entire section dedicated to coverage of the outbreak. .
The need for another was obvious at last Mondays distribution. Chopper 11 captured cars lined up for miles waiting hours to get food.
The National Guard, for the very first time, was even called in to help cope with increasing demand.
Workers served more than 5,000 cars over the last couple food giveaways and still had to turn people away.
With the region bracing itself for the next two weeks, the food bank expects to give away more food Monday.
Food bank officials ask those coming out to arrive no earlier than 11 a.m. and not after 3 p.m., when the event ends.
The food bank has held four emergency drive-up distributions so far, giving away some 265,000 pounds of food.
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Pittsburgh Food Bank Will Expand Its Cold Storage Facilities With A $12m Grant
The Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank will receive $1,241,740 to expand its cold storage infrastructure. Through the American Rescue Plan, Pennsylvania will distribute more than $11 million to food banks in every county.
The money from the infrastructure money that’s coming in is specifically around being able to acquire equipment like this and allow us to hit our strategic goal of 50% fresh produce, said Marnie Schilken, chief program officer at the food bank.
When the pandemic hit the region in early 2020, the food bank immediately set up distribution sites, giving boxes of fresh produce and other groceries to families. According to the food bank, nearly 45 million meals were given to families this year, a 12.5% increase from last year.
In the 11 southwestern Pennsylvania counties the food bank serves, the organization estimates about 343,000, or 1 in every 7 residents, experiences food insecurity.
Wpial Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank Team Up For League
Thursday, August 4, 2022
Pittsburgh, Pa. The Western Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic League announced Thursday that it is partnering with Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank for its second annual league-wide food drive from October 10-22.
In its inaugural year, WPIAL and Pittsburgh City League schools raised a total of 107,232 meals for the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank. There were 22 schools across the league that provided over 1,000 meals each, and 15 schools raised over 100 pounds in physical donations.
gives us an opportunity to be a part of something big that benefits the lives of kids, said WPIAL Executive Director Scott Seltzer. Were here to help improve the lives of kids, and the Food Bank and this partnership with them allows us to do that.
Were so excited to see WPIAL school districts jump into this healthy competition to help make sure our neighbors have access to nutritious food, said Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank President and CEO Lisa Scales. With inflation impacting both our community members and Food Bank operations, donations are critical in helping us feed every family who comes to us for help.
Moon , Knoch , Quaker Valley , Avonworth , Fort Cherry , and Union were named champions of their respective divisions following the inaugural WPIAL Food Drive, with Moon providing a league-high 19,362 meals.
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Find A Pantry In Your Neighborhood
If you earn an income that is 150 percent of the federal poverty level, or are experiencing an emergency such as a fire or job loss, we can help. Using just your zip code, our digital locator tool helps you find a pantry near you. A chart of income guidelines for using our pantry network is located below.
Steelers Penguins And Pirates To Host Mlk Day Drive
PITTSBURGH The Pittsburgh Steelers, Pittsburgh Penguins and Pittsburgh Pirates are partnering this MLK Day to give back to the Pittsburgh community by hosting a drive-thru and walk-up distribution event.
The teams will honor the spirit of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and support their community by distributing free groceries, shoes and socks as well as providing voter registration information to Pittsburghers.
The distribution will take place on Saturday, , from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at three Pittsburgh locations.
- Location 1: Former Shop N Save Parking Lot Centre Ave, Hill District
- Location 2: Community Empowerment Association, 7120 Kelly St, Pittsburgh, PA 15208
- Location 3: Cul-de-sac on Mazeroski Way- Outside of PNC Park, near the Mazeroski statue
You may visit to register. Registration is open until distribution materials run out.
The Steelers, Penguins and Pirates would like to thank the Voter Empowerment Education & Enrichment Movement, Community Empowerment Association, the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank and B3 Foundation for their support of this event.
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Need A Ride To The Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank Heritage Community Initiatives Is Here To Help
Chris West recalls the start of the pandemic when the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank began spending $1 million a month more than its usual $19.8 million yearly budget to help people in need. As the pandemic has dragged on, times are still tough for many people, he says.
Weve seen attendance a little down at pantries, but we think that is because people were getting the Child Tax Credit and extra SNAP benefits, and last year there were more food distributions through different channels for pandemic relief. But the Child Tax Credit has ended, so I think the numbers are probably going to go back up, says West, director of the food banks new Community Connections department.
Last year, the food bank distributed more than 34 million pounds of food, including 11 million pounds of fresh produce, and helped people fill out and submit nearly 4,000 SNAP applications. But, says West, If people cant access the food were trying to get them, its not doing any good. We want to cut down barriers wherever we can.
Access to transportation is an ongoing challenge in the region, says McWilliams, the organizations president and CEO. We have a longstanding relationship with the food bank and because we serve many of the same people, I thought what a great opportunity this is for us to support the food bank and their customers.
Anyone can fall on hard times, McWilliams says, and no one should be afraid to seek help.
Seniors Can Sign Up To Receive Food Every Month
The PA Senior Food Box Program serves individuals aged 60 and over with incomes of less than 130 percent of the Federal Poverty Guidelinehelping to prevent vulnerable seniors from having to choose between food and other basic needs.
Please note: We observe Federal, State and Local COVID-19 regulations that limit crowd sizes and recommend social distancing. For this reason, all Food Bank-managed direct distribution programs operate as with people staying in their cars to limit person-to-person contact.
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