As food insecurity grows and federal cuts loom, Pittsburgh food bank ramps up efforts to help
A new report from Feeding America shows 1 in 5 children in Southwestern Pennsylvania do not have enough to eat. Channel 11 checked in with the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank to find out what's being done there and in various communities to help those in need.
An unsettling upward trend of food insecurity is being reported in the 11 counties served by the Food Bank. The most recent data from Map The Meal Gap shows an increase in need across all demographics, including a significant spike in rates among children.
'You look at grocery prices, they're still high, cost of living is still high across the board, so it's all of those factors that are going into causing individuals to make very difficult choices,' said Brian Gulish, VP of marketing & communications for the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank.
Despite cuts in federal funding, the Food Bank is ramping up efforts to close the meal gap, a renewed effort to supplement the needs of families by adding 21 child nutrition partners in its service area.
'…Working with school district partners, summer youth café programs, our partners in the community…we are putting the resources and the boots on the ground to make sure we can get the food in the communities,' Gulish said.
The best ways you can help: donate, volunteer, and advocate for change, as the future remains uncertain for several federal programs. The Food Bank says that includes a loss of $1.5 million through the cancellation of the Local Food Purchasing Agreement (LFPA) program, as well as potential changes or cuts to SNAP benefits
'We are, right now, preparing for that proverbial double-edged sword: if our funding goes down, if the need goes up, we're going to see an increase in people coming to the food bank, and we are going to make sure we are here to serve our mission to the fullest,' Gulish said.
RESOURCES: https://pittsburghfoodbank.org
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