Food pantries expect smooth provider transition
The Lighthouse Foundation already gets up to 90% of its food from the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank, so the agency’s administrators expect a smooth transition July 1, when the food bank becomes Butler County’s new food assistance program provider.
Joe Franciscus, food pantry director for the foundation, and several other leaders of the 33 food pantries speckled across Butler County, shared little concern about the upcoming change in which the county commissioners ousted a Butler Township-based nonprofit in favor of the Pittsburgh-based provider.
In late May, the Butler County commissioners transferred its county food assistance programs — the Emergency Food Assistance and State Food Purchase programs — from Butler Township’s Community Partnership, which has run the program for the past two years, to the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank. The unanimous vote came May 22.
At that time, the commissioners noted the Pittsburgh food bank already ran the county’s senior box food program, and it handles food distribution for 10 counties in the region.
“I give my full support to Greater Pittsburgh; their communication has been great,” Franciscus said. “I think it’s going to be a smooth transition.”
He noted the Pittsburgh food bank is the foundation’s governing body, so clients already are registered in the bank’s system.
“They're our governing agency so we follow their guidelines,” Franciscus said.
Several other food pantries in Butler County noted their existing partnerships with the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank as the July 1 change nears.
Mikayla Moretti, director of special events Butler County Community College, said the shift to the Greater Pittsburgh bank could add to the number of food choices the college’s Pioneer Pantry offers.
“We would get items for everyone and the opportunity to pick it up for everyone,” she said. “We will not have any changes in terms of who we can provide food for.”
Maj. Darlene Means of the Salvation Army Butler Corps, said the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank provides the agency with senior food boxes, which the Salvation Army distributes. Means expects the transition to be smooth.
“We get our senior boxes, and then we get individual cases of food, whatever they have on hand,” Means said. “I don't think it's going to change much.“
Jimmy Tarpey, pastor of Allison Park Church, said the food bank at the Clearview Mall has had good communication with the Community Partnership and the Greater Pittsburgh bank, from which it also gets food.
“I think everything will go over smoothly,” Tarpey said.
Although the contract changes hands July 1, Community Partnership will work in a support role for the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank to ensure a smooth transition for food pantries, according to Sandra Curry, executive director of Community Partnership.
In a June 21 call, Curry said the agency will be present for warehouse distributions to food pantries through September.
“For the pantries to stay on it's going to provide them with some continuity,” Curry said of the transitional support. “We will still be doing some things associated with the warehouse through the end of September.”
She explained that Community Partnership already works with the Greater Pittsburgh bank to distribute food at regular drives and also operates a mobile food cart, distributes a Veterans in Agriculture grant and leads an entrepreneurship program that will continue after the end of the nonprofit’s county contract.
“While we are disappointed in the county’s intent to select a new lead agency for (Federal Emergency Food Assistance Program and State Food Purchase Program), we look forward to continuing to serve the county,” Curry said in a written statement.
Economies of scale — including more food storage capacity and the ability to provide fresh food — were the main reasons the commissioners gave for making the change. Fulfilling state and federal reporting requirements also was an issue, commissioners said.
Curry said reporting issues had nothing to do with the distributions Community Partnership did as Butler County’s food contractor, but instead with distributions done outside of its county work. Curry also said the warehouse Community Partnership stores food in for the county would not be capable of holding the stock necessary for the 11,000 to 12,000 clients of the county’s 33 pantries.
“That is probably part of the economies of scale argument,” she said.
Community Partnership served as food assistance provider for the county for only a two-year contract, which is awarded by the county.
Previously, the Alliance for Nonprofit Resources was the county’s food assistance provider. The county moved the contract to Community Partnership following the departure of a shared CEO.
In May 2022, three nonprofit organizations — Alliance for Nonprofit Resources, Center for Community Resources and Nonprofit Development Corporation — announced the departure of their shared CEO, Michael Robb. Though Community Partnership was not included in the May announcement, Robb had served as its head under the shared leadership arrangement with the other organizations.
Curry was named executive director of Community Partnership following his departure. At that time, she described the partnership’s relationship with the three other nonprofits as “affiliated, but not as closely as we were.” She noted the nonprofits are separate entities.
Even though Community Partnership will no longer act as the county’s food assistance provider, the nonprofit holds the Community Services Block Grant for Butler County, which is federal funding administered through the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development. The grant totals more than $315,000.
It means Community Partnership still is responsible for being a voice for people living in poverty, Curry said.
“We would still have to hold the position to speak out about it if it affects people living in poverty,” Curry said. “This only affects about $15,000 in admin funding; nobody here is losing their job, and it’s not affecting critical operations of the organization.”
Curry said Community Partnership may move offices at the end of its contract with Butler County.
Following the county commissioners’ vote in May, Community Partnership’s board of directors met to discuss the future of the organization. Rich Wilson, a board member, said the agency will continue working and creating new programs to cut down on food insecurity in Butler County.
“We are passionate about this. We care more about this than anything else,” Wilson said in May. “What we do as a body here is more than just food. I think that’s what the important part is: We have to address all the needs.”
