People Program benefits families in need
Several hundred people stood by Tuesday as pallets of fresh items and canned goods were unloaded inside the Butler City Farmers Market.
The items were then distributed as part of Produce to People, a program that provides fresh produce and other grocery items to areas in need.
Although The Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank started Produce to People in 2005, it approached the Lighthouse Foundation several months ago to coordinate a Produce to People site in Butler County, said Dave Miller, Lighthouse Foundation communications coordinator.
Including the newest site in Butler, the program has 14 locations in Allegheny, Beaver, Fayette and Lawrence counties.
Butler County Community Action and the Butler City Farmers Market also are involved in the local project.
“We see it as a way of being able to get fresh produce out into the communities that we serve,” said Cynthia Moore, the food bank's chief outreach officer.
Before the site officially opened in Butler at 4 p.m. Tuesday, volunteers registered participants and provided them with one ticket per household. Nearly 500 households participated and no one was turned away empty-handed.
As they moved through the line, participants were able to load their baskets, bags or boxes with close to 40 pounds of food. Items offered Tuesday included chicken breasts, potatoes and plums along with canned sweet corn, tomatoes, green beans, carrots and more.
Additionally, participants were given a simple recipe developed by the GPCFB nutrition department.
“Along with the three produce items, we try to fill it out with other things you could add to it to create a reasonable meal,” said Josh Murphy, special distributions coordinator for the GPCFB.
The GPCFB is an affiliate of Feeding America, the nation's leading domestic hunger-relief charity, Moore said. Thanks to the charity, fresh food will be available in addition to shelf-stable foods.
“Through our connections with Feed America and through local donations, we are able to make this food available,” she said. “We focus on providing fresh produce, but we try to provide a well-rounded supply of food to the community.”
People may avoid visiting their local food pantry because of limited hours or social stigma, Moore said. Additionally, local food pantries sometimes have trouble stocking produce because of proper food handling and refrigeration issues.Produce to People is an alternative form of distribution and may supplement other food bank participation.“I think that it is needed,” said Debra Gould of Butler County Community Action.“The food cupboards sometimes are not able to give out as much fresh produce because of restrictions in space for them to store it and, of course, produce doesn't keep as long as shelf-stable foods.”It is not necessary for participants to arrive early or even promptly at 4 p.m. as Produce to People continues to serve until 6 p.m., Gould said.If participants spread out their arrivals, congestion in line and in parking could be avoided.The program has income criteria, but eligibility is self-declared and participants must sign a legal document.Total household income should be less than 150 percent of the poverty level. For example, a household with four people would have to make $33,075 or less a year to be eligible for the program. A full breakdown is available at the GPCFB's website at www.pittsburghfoodbank.org.Participants may also be receiving Medicare, Medicaid, unemployment, disability, Social Security, SNAP benefits or be in a temporary emergency situation.“It's really helpful,” said Paula, a participant who visited the site with her son. “I have a full-time job but it's a struggle. By the time you pay the rent, bills, car insurance, there's not much left.”Lois, another participant, said she was “very impressed” with the quality and variety of produce available.“It was very fast, very nice, very comfortable,” she said. “I hope it continues on; there are a lot of people who need this.”The Butler City Farmers Market donated the space, which will continue to host the distributions from 4 to 6 p.m. the fourth Tuesday of each month.“I hope we can help a lot of families,” said Doug Green, volunteer manager for Butler Downtown.Any individual or group is welcome to volunteer, said Miller, though children should be at least 12 years old. More than 40 volunteers helped on Tuesday.Volunteers are needed from 3 to 7 p.m. for setup, distribution and cleanup. Duties may include registering participants, unloading and handing out items or helping people carry goods to their transportation.The program also is in need of organizations to financially support a Produce to People distribution date in the Butler County area.Tuesday's distribution was sponsored by the Greek Catholic Union, a fraternal organization with a home office in Beaver County and a lodge of more than 500 members in Lyndora.“For anybody that wants to give back to the community, this kind of project is perfect,”said GCU marketing director George Lopata. “We're giving back what the community needs.”
<B>WHAT: </B>Produce to People monthly distribution<B>WHEN: </B>4 to 6 p.m. the fourth Tuesday of the month. Distribution dates through the end of the year are Aug. 23, Sept. 27, Oct. 25, Nov. 22 and Dec. 20.<B>WHERE: </B>Butler City Farmers Market, intersection of Chestnut, Race and Shore Streets.<B>INFO: </B>For information about Produce to People or to sponsor a distribution site, call Cynthia Moore at 412-460-3663 Ext. 201 or call the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank's Produce to People hot line at 412-460-3663 Ext. 727.For volunteer information, contact Dave Miller at 724-586-5554, Ext. 34. or at davemiller@thelighthouseonline.net.
