Glenshaw church hosting Fill-A-Truck food fundraiser to benefit Etna food bank

Members of Glenshaw Presbyterian Church are campaigning for an even larger than usual turnout for their Fill-A-Truck event to help feed the hungry.

The increased need for food pantry services during covid-19 has caused a 33% spike in the number of patrons at Bread of Life food pantry in Etna, church member Betty Miller said.

“They served more people in September 2020 than in each of the previous five months,” Miller said.

The site offers three distributions a month to help meet demand. Donations from the church’s annual Fill-A-Truck fundraiser, where people can drop off nonperishable items and paper products, will benefit Bread of Life.

The event will be 9 a.m. to noon March 28 at the church along Glenn Avenue.

Bread of Life serves families across the Shaler Area. About 140 families each month receive a box full of staples such as soup, crackers, peanut butter and produce.

Event Chairperson Laura Davidson said the food fundraiser has been a tradition at the church since 2013.

It originally was spearheaded by the church’s minister of music, Howard Moser, who also served on the Bread of Life board of directors.

The event is always hosted on Palm Sunday, except for last year when the pandemic shut it down.

Davidson, who began volunteering at Bread of Life when she retired seven years ago, is hopeful that donations will come from the larger Shaler Area community and not be limited to church parishioners.

Though the committee hasn’t kept track of the number of people who donate each year, it always is a success.

“Our community has been so generous in helping others throughout the pandemic but we’d like to remind people that the need is ongoing,” Miller said.

She has volunteered several years with her family at the Fill-A-Truck fundraiser, loading food into the truck at the church and stocking the shelves at the pantry along Locust Street in Etna.

“We have always been overwhelmed with the generosity of those who have brought donations,” she said. “There have been trunks and cars loaded with boxes of food items or paper products and monetary donations from those who had difficulty in bringing food. It is so rewarding to be part of an effort that makes a difference in the lives of our neighbors who are struggling.”