Drive-up food distribution to remain at Pittsburgh Mills through March

Tawnya Panizzi | Tuesday, December 21, 2021 4:01 p.m.

Louis B. Ruediger | Tribune-Review

Mike Sheridan 33, of Pittsburgh helps distribute meals during a previous event by the Allegheny Valley Association of Churches at the Pittsburgh Mills Galleria.

A free drive-thru food distribution for Alle-Kiski Valley families will remain at Pittsburgh Mills in Frazer through March.

The giveaway is hosted by Harrison-based Allegheny Valley Association of Churches (AVAC) and the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank.

It’s a shift away from plans to return to the empty Rite Aid building along Corbet Street in Tarentum.

Officials cited the ongoing pandemic for the decision to remain at the mall.

“They still don’t want people standing so close together in line and we really had no way to keep people six feet apart,” said Beth Kendra, AVAC administrative assistant.

“These are winter months and people would be standing out in the cold, wrapped around the building, and it just seemed a better decision to keep the drive-up.”

Locations will be reevaluated every three months.

The church ministry runs the mass food distribution, which doles out meat, milk and veggies to more than 400 families a month.

Karen Snair, AVAC executive director, said the number of people seeking help has climbed during the pandemic and is always more than the number that shows up during face-to-face distributions.

In December, Kendra said there were “well over” 500 families that received the supplemental food.

Participants typically receive three boxes of food that include fresh produce, frozen meat and shelf-stable items such as pasta and peanut butter.

The distribution is open to anyone, but registration is requested at Pittsburghfoodbank.org/get-help/drive-up/ or by calling 412-460-3663, ext. 655.

Upcoming events will be 4:30 to 6 p.m. on Jan. 11, Feb. 8 and March 8.

Snair said her group previously received permission from Abundant Joy Fellowship, owners of the vacant Rite Aid in Tarentum, to return the food distribution there. But, Snair said, directives will depend on covid-19 counts.

Anyone participating in the event at Pittsburgh Mills can find the food lines in the JCPenney parking lot. Vehicles are not permitted to arrive before 4 p.m. Recipients must remain inside the vehicle.

Up to three families can receive food in one vehicle, but each must be registered separately.

Typically, the summer food distribution is held at Blessed Sacrament Church in Harrison but Kendra is not certain of locations beyond March.

“That would be lovely, but they really do worry about how close people will be standing and if they’ll wear masks,” she said. “It all depends on numbers. Maybe in May — we just don’t know yet.”