Volunteers with Catholic Diocese of Pittsburgh package 1 million meals for families
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) — More than 300 volunteers traded in their sweatpants for service Friday morning at North Catholic High School for Amen to Action.
Friday's event was the grand finale of 10 food packaging events spread across the Pittsburgh Catholic Diocese.
Wearing his apron instead of a cloak, Bishop David Zubik helped start the food packing extravaganza five years ago, and now it's a room filled with hundreds of smiling volunteers wearing hair nets.
"We've gathered here to help pack meals that will feed over 1 million people," said Bishop Zubik.
It's called Amen to Action, and that action lasted all month long. It focused on hungry people in our communities.
"During this month, we've had every Saturday in November, and we've had three faith communities that have been working together to put together these meals," Zubik said.
The laser-focused volunteers dived up oatmeal and pasta into meal packs, stacking boxes high for the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank.
"The need has never been higher right now because of the impact of inflation, cost of grocery items, gasoline, with heating bills coming due," said Lisa Scales, the CEO of the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank. "The need has never been greater and more and more of the people we're serving are coming to us for food assistance for the very first time."
And thanks to the community showing up, Scales says Amen to Action took a stand this Thanksgiving season.
"And that all is happening because of our neighbors coming together to say it's not acceptable for kids to go to bed hungry, it's not acceptable for seniors to have to choose between paying for medicine and paying for food," Scales said.
With caring hearts, the volunteers sealed up over 100,000 meals on Friday, bringing the grand total to 1 million packaged meals this month alone.