Pittsburgh food pantry worries it will have to end critical programs if it loses federal funding

PITTSBURGH — Inside the East End Cooperative Ministry building on Station Street in East Liberty is a community kitchen, a food pantry and an emergency shelter that provide thousands of meals to the most vulnerable people in the community.

But, organizers tell Channel 11 that if federal cuts are made, people who rely on these critical food services could go hungry.

“When you are providing the basic needs of just feeding people to live and survive and you have to cut that program that is shameful,” said Diona Jones, the president & CEO of East End Cooperative Ministry.

East End Cooperative Ministry operates the only food pantry in the region that’s open five days a week. It serves roughly 4,000 people with fresh produce and groceries. It also runs a community kitchen where seniors and families can receive a hot meal daily. The program hands out about 100,000 meals a year, but organizers worry these services could be in jeopardy.

“It will impact everything we have, and we won’t be able to keep our doors open,” Jones said.

Twenty percent of their food program is federally funded.

Jones said if their funds are cut, it could force them to end their most critical program, food.

“A large increase in clientele combined with the potential cuts of our food services is a disaster. We need to keep the food service department open to help combat poverty in the East End,” she explained.

The federal government makes up 60% of their overall operating funding, and to run their food program it costs roughly $600,000 yearly. Jones said seniors would be most impacted if their funding is reduced.

“We find a lot of seniors can not afford a hot meal,” she said.

“It’s hard to cook when you have nobody to feed but yourself,” Dan Hawkins said.

Hawkins is a senior who works with the organization. He said he’s lucky that he gets most of his meals from the community kitchen, but still worries.

“I worry that some of the benefits that we senior citizens have now will be taken away, sometimes it’s really frustrating because I feel like my hands are tied,” he said.

For Hawkins, like many seniors who gather at the community kitchen or shop at the food pantry, it is more than just a meal; it’s a social life, a family, and it’s their dignity.

“Once you get old, and I can attest to this, the younger population thinks that you’re worthless,” Hawkins said.

EECM is launching its “Have a Heart for Hunger” campaign to raise essential funds and increase awareness for its food pantry and community kitchen. To learn more or to donate, click here.

Download the FREE WPXI News app for breaking news alerts.

Follow Channel 11 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch WPXI NOW