Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank in need of volunteers

PITTSBURGH — The Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank says it needs volunteers.

With inflation and high heating bills, the Food Bank said it’s seeing an increase in the number of people who need assistance but doesn’t have enough volunteers to serve them, according to a news release.

“I always say that you know volunteers are really the heart of our mission at the food bank,” said Mario Montaro, of the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank.

The Food Bank said they normally see a drop in volunteers after the holiday.

“We normally see a dip in the number of volunteers after the holidays, but this year we’re seeing more people come through our doors for food,” said Maria Montaro, Manager of Corporate and Community Giving.

The Food Bank said it’s short about 75 volunteers short of the 500 needed each week to help feed people across 11 counties. Some of those volunteers are needed for the onsite pantry, The Market, which is open during business hours Monday through Friday.

“But we really need helping hands right now. A lot of folks are experiencing really high heating bills and we’re actually serving more people than around the holidays and so right now is the time to volunteer,” Montaro said.

Volunteers can sign for three-and-a-half to four-hour shifts doing the following:

• Preparing food for distribution
• Stocking shelves
• Bagging items or weighing food
• Assisting families as a shopping buddy
• Helping families register/get food at distributions

Volunteers are needed in every county and volunteers need to be at least 18 years old.

“Oh, come down it’s so much fun and you know as I said you’re really appreciated. It’s a great group of people,” said volunteer Paula Harris.

If you’re interested in volunteering, you can sign up at pittsburghfoodbank.org/volunteer. To schedule a group, email the volunteer team at volunteer@pittsburghfoodbank.org.

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