Volunteers collecting food at McCandless town hall

McCandless isn’t holding its annual Community Day celebration because of the coronavirus pandemic.

But one feature of the event — a food drive to help local families — is still happening.

Volunteers will be holding a food drive on Saturday to help restock the pantries of a local charity that assists needy families in the North Hills.

Food can be dropped off at Town Hall from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Sept. 12. Volunteers will be on hand to collect the food, which will be donated to North Hills Community Outreach.

The non-profit organization operates food pantries in Allison Park, Millvale and Avalon.

NHCO provides food to nearly 700 families each month.

McCandless canceled the Community Day celebration because of the financial hit the municipality has faced because of the state-mandated shutdown to slow the spread of coronavirus.

The shutdown created a $1 million hole in McCandless’ budget due to a sharp reduction in revenue from taxes, according to officials.

In addition to the financial strain holding the event would cause, town officials said an analysis of reopening plans conducted by the Pennsylvania Parks and Recreation Society raised questions about whether proper social distancing and other safety measures could be practiced at an event such as Community Day, which typically draws several thousand people.