Uniontown Church One Of The Few Still Helping Community Deal With Food Insecurity
By: KDKA's Briana Smith
UNIONTOWN (KDKA) -- A church in Uniontown continues to feed a community grappling with food insecurity.
Fresh Fire Church held its monthly food giveaway Thursday. It's one of the few mass distribution events left in Fayette County while the need continues to increase.
The line of cars wrapped around the street as hundreds waited to pick up food at the Fayette County church this morning. Organizers hope people leave with more than just meals; they want them to feel a sense of community as well.
"I'm retired and stuff like that, so I need a little help just like everybody else," Holbert Victor, a Uniontown resident, said.
Victor is just one of the 1,100 residents who picked up food at the Fresh Fire Church's distribution event.
"There was food insecurity before the virus, but it's just impacted it. That and unemployment, and circumstances that normal people don't understand," Pastor Adam Lawson said.
Lawson says cars start lining up around 6 a.m., even though the distributions start at 10 a.m.
They hold two giveaways each month, especially because fewer organizations are holding events compared to last year.
"There's over 20,000 people that are food insecure in the county. In Southwestern Pennsylvania, Fayette [County] is the number one most food insecure county," Pastor Lawson said.
Lawson says they served more than 26,000 people already this year.
"People need to come together. People need to show support towards other people. If people were a little more giving, there wouldn't be so many problems in this world," Jill Sines, another Uniontown resident, said.
Lawson says they strive each day to make a difference in the community.
"We're here to be a resource to help people get back on their feet and know this won't last forever, and we will be a place to help you build your life again," he said.
