Community food pantry loses thousands of dollars’ worth of food after days without power

PENN HILLS, Pa. — A food pantry had to throw out thousands of dollars’ worth of perishable food because of an extended blackout.

“This has to go in the garbage; I wouldn’t give any of this to anyone,” said Wynona Harper, the founder of Jamar’s Place of Peace.

Every Thursday and Saturday, Jamar’s Place of Peace in Penn Hills provides free food to those in need. However, this week, the local food pantry will be cleaning up after storms caused a power outage that lasted more than 48 hours.

“At that point, I knew I was going to lose everything,” Harper explained.

Harper told Channel 11 that her organization serves around one thousand families each month, providing them with meat, dairy products, fresh produce, and dry food goods.

“We lost $4,600 worth of meat,” she said.

The small organization has received some grants in the past, but Jamar’s Place of Peace is primarily funded by Harper’s personal contributions.

Replenishing the lost amount will be challenging, she noted. Harper started the pantry in honor of her late son and is committed to helping the community he loved.

“They look forward to coming here because they know they will be blessed and loved when they walk through these doors,” Harper said.

She is hopeful that community members and local officials will assist in replenishing the pantry so that she can continue serving the community by next week’s food pick-up.

“God makes a way for me, but right now we could really use the help,” Harper said.

To donate to Jamar’s Place of Peace, you can visit https://jpopeace.org/.

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