Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank

Community outreach and education - focused on connecting the public to the mission of the Food Bank and bringing attention to issues of hunger and poverty, while emphasizing the value of Community service. Our outreach and education programs include:* advocacy: the Food Bank uses various strategies to mobilize the public to speak out about the impact of hunger on individuals and families and to encourage elected officials to support public policies that strengthen and protect important nutrition assistance programs. These strategies include the use of social media, sending action alert emails, encouraging individuals to meet in person with their elected officials and/or staff, call-in days and letter writing campaigns. * marketing and communications utilizes multiple media platforms, and strategies specific to each, to enhance brand awareness of the Food Bank. By focusing on selling our mission through storytelling and targeted marketing initiatives, the Food Bank is able to reach all audiences, including our donors and constituents in need of our services. * education: staff, board members and volunteers engage members of Community groups, schools and universities, congregations, businesses and other affiliations in activities that raise awareness about Food Bank's mission to feed people in need and mobilize the Community to eliminate hunger. * volunteer program: the Food Bank engages volunteers from all sectors of the Community including corporations, school groups, church groups as well as the private sector who provide clerical support, sort and package Food donations, assist with Food distributions, help with snap (Food stamps) applications, as well as support events, third party food/fund drives and rescuing fresh Food from local farms. During the covid-19 pandemic, the Food Bank started drive-up distributions to create the ability to distribute Food in a safe no-touch way. Also created was our doorstep delivery program where Food was delivered to individuals without transportation or who were in high-risk demographics for contracting covid. Both these programs relied on volunteers to load cars or to deliver the Food. Throughout 2019-2020, more than 6,000 volunteers contributed more than 50,600 hours to support, valued at $1,376,320, the Food Bank's mission. These hours are the equivalent of 24.3 full-time employees.