Source: Pittsburgh Post-GazetteAug.迷你倉沙田 12--The Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank will close 15 food pantries in the Pittsburgh area next month due to some funding cuts and an effort to keep pantries where resources are most needed.Representatives from the food bank said that after the closures, no community will be without food access, but residents in some affected areas are concerned about the changes.The food bank serves 120,000 people per month and provides a total of 27.4 million pounds of food per year. The agency does not expect either of these numbers to drop, since it hopes to maneuver resources throughout its network of food distributors to accommodate the same number of people.The regional food bank runs a total of 254 food pantries, 205 of which are in Allegheny County. Last year 10 food pantries closed, but three were adopted by the Salvation Army and three were closed for renovation or space issues. In addition, three pantries in Somerset and one in Butler County were opened.But throughout the month of September, more pantries will close than in all of last year. Three food banks are closing in McKees Rocks, two each in Hazelwood and the Hill District and one each in the South Side, Carrick, McKeesport, Braddock, Homewood, Clairton, West Mifflin and the North Side.The closures are part of a plan that the food bank initiated more than a year ago to place more resources in under-served areas, said Ron Cichowicz, the chief communications officer for the organization. Additionally, this year the food bank is operating with a smaller budget after experiencing more than $400,000 in federal, state and local cuts, said CEO Lisa Scales. The food bank's budget this year is $13.9 million.Despite these setbacks, food bank representatives are confident that every community will have access to food."We really want to make sure that we're not abandoning people," Ms. Scales said. "We're ensuring that people get service at a nearby food pantry."Though it is the food bank's goal to make sure no one in Pittsburgh is hungry, Pearl Bey, a 77-year-old who lives in a Glen Hazel high-rise, is concerned about the food bank in her building being eliminated. Ms. Bey, who has used a wheelchair for the past five years after having seven knee surgeries, relies on the food pantry in her building for about 50 percent of her food supply.Since she is unable to walk, she said it will not be feasible for her to go to the Hazelwood YMCA, which she said will be the closest food pantry to her after Glen Hazel closes."There's nothing I can do," she said.Ms. Bey is not alone in her discontent, said Janet Evans, the president of the tenant's council of Roselle Courts High-Rise in Glen Hazel. She estimates that there are 40 to 50 people who use the Glen Hazel food pantry and about 20 of them use wheelchairs. Even if residents take the bus to the YMCA, she added, it drops them off at the bottom of a hill that many residents will not be able to climb."It's going to be a hardship for some of the ones that live in the high-rise," Ms. Evans said. "They are very mad and unhappy that this is happening."The Rev. Leslie Boone, who founded Fishes and 迷你倉價錢oaves to sell cheap produce in Hazelwood, said she does not understand why the food bank chose to close this particular pantry."I can understand funding cuts, but I beg to differ on the accessibility," she said. "I would really like to hear what their next plan is."Others were supportive of the food bank's actions and said that the organization worked with them to ensure that the closures will not have an adverse impact on their neighborhood. The food bank has allowed Focus on Renewal, a community center in McKees Rocks that distributes food two days a week, to order more food so it will be able to accommodate excess people after three other food pantries in McKees Rocks close."The Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank has been great about calling us and making sure that we can accommodate the added families," said Sister Sarah Crotty, the associate director of Focus on Renewal. "I think we can, and we're very happy to do that."The leaders of the Brashear Association on the South Side are in the middle, nervously optimistic that they will be able to feed the additional people they expect when the food banks close.Approximately 50 more families each month may arrive looking for food after Arlington Heights Food Pantry closes, said Tracy Frank, the family case manager at the Brashear Association."I think that that's something that we'll be able to do," Ms. Frank said. "Probably more than anything people are just concerned about trying to make that adjustment."In the Hill District, other organizations in the neighborhood that provide food are not as not optimistic about their ability to help additional people."It's going to be a serious problem for the community emergency food pantry here," said Paul Abernathy, the director of Focus, which helps provide food in the Hill District. "We have trouble keeping our shelves stocked anyway."There are resources available for any person in the city of Pittsburgh who meets certain income requirements, said Karen L. Garrett, the director of outreach and community initiatives at Pittsburgh Community Services Inc.The organization has an emergency food pantry that will find food for people in the midst of a crisis, she said. The agency also can transport food to people who are incapable of doing so for medical reasons, she added. Those in need of services can call 412-904-4801.The list of food pantries that will be closing next month are: McKees Rocks Terrace, Ohioview Senior Hi-Rise FP and Pleasant Ridge Community (McKees Rocks); Bernice Crawley Manor Highrise and Glen Hazel Tenant Council (Hazelwood); K. Leroy Irvis Towers and The Legacy Food Pantry (Hill District); Arlington Heights Food Pantry (South Side); Carrick Regency Food Pantry (Carrick); Harrison Village Food Pantry (McKeesport); Helping Hand Food Pantry (Braddock); Homewood North Food Pantry (Homewood); Millvue Acres (Clairton); Pressley Street Hi-Rise Food Pantry (North Side); and West Mifflin Manor Food Pantry (West Mifflin).Monica Disare: mdisare@post-gazette.com.Copyright: ___ (c)2013 the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Visit the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette at .post-gazette.com Distributed by MCT Information Services迷你倉庫
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