Stephen Satterfield, Walmart Market Manager for the Pittsburgh Market and Food bank Presodent & CEO Lisa Scales stand in front of refrigerated truck. (Courtesy Photo)
DUQUESNE, Pa. — Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank has received $252,950 in grants from the Walmart Foundation to expand select summer food programs for children and enhance nutritious food delivery throughout the organization’s 11-county southwestern Pennsylvania service area.
The Food Bank announce April 28 that it will use $62,350 to sustain its Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) and School Breakfast Program (SBP) in Allegheny County and launch new programs in Indiana and Washington counties. The other $190,600 will finance the purchase of a refrigerated truck that will enable the Food Bank to deliver 50 percent more pounds of food in a more efficient manner.
“We are so thrilled to receive this support from the Walmart Foundation,” said Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank President & CEO Lisa Scales. “Through these two awards, the Food Bank will be able to continue to expand its efforts of feeding our community members in need.”
The two grants, made possible through the Walmart Foundation’s State Giving Program, which strives to award grants that have long-lasting, positive impacts on communities, were announced during a community event at the Food Bank, where Walmart officially turned over the keys to the truck as several Walmart associates volunteered as part of a day of service.
“Walmart and the Walmart Foundation have made fighting hunger in America a priority,” said Stephen Satterfield, Market Manager for the Pittsburgh market. “And we’re doing that by partnering with local organizations like Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank to ensure they have the resources they need to help as many people as they can throughout southwestern Pennsylvania.”
The new tandem axle refrigerated truck will enable the Food Bank to increase the number of people served, increase the total pounds of food distributed, and increase the amount of fresh produce distributed in Allegheny, Armstrong, Beaver, Butler, Cambria, Fayette, Greene, Indiana, Lawrence, Somerset and Washington counties.
The truck has a hauling capacity over 58,000 pounds, the largest capacity among other trucks in the fleet, enabling the Food Bank to streamline delivery schedules. With the new truck, the Food Bank is able to deliver more food items (including produce and fresh food) to different areas of the region in fewer trips. By reducing the number of trips to outlying regional counties, which can be between 80 to 160 miles round-trip from the main warehouse, the Food Bank also will realize savings in fuel and time, which can be redirected to other areas of need. And, the streamlined delivery will free up drivers who can be utilized for additional routes.
“One of the main initiatives driving our work for the next three years is to not only distribute more food to the clients who depend on us, but to provide more nutritious food options to people who have limited access to these items on a regular basis,” Scales said. “This truck is part of that equation.”
The Food Bank is sustaining and expanding the Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) and School Breakfast Program (SBP). SFSP started in 2009 after the Food Bank discovered that most regional and more rural counties served less than 10 percent of children eligible for the program. The grants will enable the Food Bank to educate community organizations about the program and create collaborative opportunities for these organizations to work with food providers and volunteers to host successful feeding sites during the summer when children in their communities are out of school.
The Food Bank now operates this program in Allegheny County and six of its most underserved regional counties: Beaver, Butler, Fayette, Greene, Lawrence and Somerset. With the Walmart Foundation grant, new programs will be launched in Indiana and Washington counties.
Scales said the Food Bank has a goal to increase the number of meals served by 25 percent in each of the new counties and by 10 percent in counties where programs are already established, and to increase participation by 10 percent in schools where the Food Bank provides SBP outreach.
A report on school breakfast participation by the Food Research and Action Center (FRAC) last year revealed that Pennsylvania ranked 39th in the country for low-income student participation. Support from Walmart and the Walmart Foundation will enable the Food Bank to continue efforts to increase school breakfast participation where it currently is offered and extend its outreach into the seven other regional counties.
Walmart and the Walmart Foundation in 2014 gave more than $29.3 million in cash and in-kind contributions to charitable organizations throughout Pennsylvania — a 10 percent increase over the prior fiscal year. In addition, Walmart and the Walmart Foundation have committed $2 billion through 2015 to fight hunger in America. As part of its historic “Fighting Hunger Together” commitment, Walmart donated 14.49 million pounds of food, or nearly 12.1 million meals, a 14 percent increase, to Pennsylvania food banks in 2014.