Coronavirus In Allegheny County: North Hills Community Outreach Hands Out Food And Necessities To People In Need
MILLVALE, Pa. (KDKA) - Dozens of people waited in line this morning to get food and other supplies from the North Hills Community Outreach.
Organizers were prepared to handle a larger than normal crowd.
The Millvale Community Center is just one of three distribution sites for the North Hills Community Outreach.
They give food and supplies to those in need once a month. This month, the process is different.
In Millvale, people typically go in and pick out the items they want. Now, with the coronavirus pandemic, the items are being pre-packaged and handed out outside.
Volunteers and staff are working to make sure people practice social distancing while waiting in line and to make sure everyone gets items from each table.
There's food and other necessities, like toilet tissue.
The organizers are asking those who want to donate food or items to also consider changing the way they give.
"Some are actual food donations that people actually give, but we're kind of discouraging that right now," said North Hills Community Outreach communications coordinator Jeff Geissler. "So we're asking people to eiter donate money so we can directly buy food or we have people who give us gift cards."
He says the organization buying the food itself is a safety precaution.
Geissler says their food pantry is just the beginning of their efforts to serve the community.
He says as the pandemic continues, he knows there will be a greater need for some of the other services they provide, like job assistance and helping clients pay for their utilities.
