Pittsburgh – Working in conjunction with Pittsburgh International Airport, Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank (the Food Bank) today announced an emergency drive-up food distribution set to take place at the parking lots of the airport from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. on Wednesday, April 22. The organizations plan to serve 1,500 vehicles through this two-hour event.
“The airport is an ideal location,” said Lisa Scales, President & CEO of Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank. “It will be one of our largest distributions to date. Based on logistics, this is hopefully going to be one of our easiest and smoothest distributions.”
For everyone’s safety, only those attending the event in a vehicle will be served
- no walk-ups will be permitted. Allegheny County Police will be assisting the organizations with traffic control. Specific traffic details will be announced prior to the distribution.
“Pittsburgh International Airport is an integral part of the community. Our facilities will always be used to help the region – and now, with traffic down and large, quiet spaces available, we are finding new ways to serve,” said Allegheny County Airport Authority CEO Christina Cassotis. “We are proud to partner with the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank for this event and we look forward to assisting those in need.”
Those who need food assistance, but do not have access to a vehicle should visit the Food Bank’s website at pittsburghfoodbank.org/gethelp for information on opportunities for help, including a map of food pantries, meals for children and SNAP (food stamps) application assistance.
For the safety of all staff, volunteers and attendees, the Food Bank is asking individuals to follow a couple of guidelines.
- Cars will not be permitted to arrive until 10 a.m. Law enforcement handling traffic will ask drivers to come back if they arrive before this time.
- For personal and public safety, in the event of an emergency as well as respect for fellow motorists, vehicles may not wait on the side of the highway or anywhere near airport property, including the Sunoco gas station. Law enforcement will be patrolling these areas and will ensure vehicles are not parked in these areas.
- For everyone’s safety and to maintain the six-foot social distancing guideline, individuals must stay in their cars at all times except to use the provided outdoor restroom facilities. Leaving cars to socialize is prohibited.
- After pulling up to the distribution area, please put the car in park and then unlock the trunk or backseat for food to be loaded. For everyone’s safety, volunteers will not be able to load food into the cars until they are in park.
- To maintain social distancing, when food is being loaded into the car, please do not get out of the car.
- Stay alert and follow the guidance of Food Bank staff and police as they direct cars through the distribution area.
In the interest of serving as many cars as possible, individuals attending this emergency food distribution will receive two boxes of food per car regardless of the number of families or groups in the vehicle. These two boxes equal about 50 pounds of food. The organization’s network of food pantries is strong and ready to assist those who need additional assistance with food.
In these uncertain times, the Food Bank is committed to continuing its nearly 40-year mission of feeding people in need and mobilizing the community to eliminate hunger. The organization is continuously monitoring this ever- changing situation and evaluating the best way to provide assistance to individuals and families in need of food assistance.
Understanding that this is an incredibly stressful time on families and children who rely on school meals, the Food Bank is working with school districts to ensure they have the resources, information and community partner support they need to be able to serve meals to children.
A full schedule of upcoming distributions; information on volunteer opportunities; and a comprehensive list and map of what schools and community organizations are doing to feed children while schools are closed are available on the Food Bank’s website at pittsburghfoodbank.org/covid19.