Amanda Dressel Local Food Banks April 25, 2005 Local food banks in Pittsburgh became more popular in the 70's when the steel mills began to close, and families had very low income, or none at all. So this is when the “War on Poverty” began, which is basically saving food instead of wasting it, and distributing it to others in need. Pittsburgh's food bank startedsmall, in rooms above the Jubilee Soup Kitchen in the Hill district, but soon expanded and moved to the South Side. The Greater Pittsburgh Food Bank receives it’s goods from many different places. Some are Second Harvest, Giant Eagle, Local food drives (Boy Scouts, mail carriers, church organizations), Government surplus, and more. As this food is collected, it is recorded and sorted into groups. Some food comes in large boxes and must be broken into smaller parts. This is all people work and the food bank relies on volunteers. The minimum age for volunteering is 12. School groups, handicapped groups, senior citizens are all the Food Bank volunteers. Last year, over 7,000 volunteers donated 39,000 hours of their time was recorded. This Food Bank serves over 350 agencies, soup kitchens, food pantries, shelters, after school programs, personal care homes, senior programs, and more. The food bank also provides nutrition education in some of these neighborhoods. Now, I learned the significance of food banks and how the help out so many people less fortunate than myself.

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