Hundreds helped by food giveaway at mall
CENTER TWP — Hundreds of people attended a food distribution Saturday, hosted by the Network of Hope Food Bank in the Clearview Mall parking lot.
Nearly 50 volunteers distributed thousands of food boxes sourced through the U.S. Department of Agriculture's farm-to-table program.
Each box contained milk, rotisserie chicken, frankfurters, potatoes, onions, apples, yogurt and cheese. The first load of food arrived on 22 pallets by tractor-trailer from New Castle.
“This is (our) first major event like this,” said Robin Pikur, director of the Network of Hope Food Bank.
Network of Hope, part of Allison Park Church's Butler campus, distributed boxes to roughly 120 cars at a time between mid-morning and mid-afternoon Saturday.
With distribution lanes stationed behind the mall across from the Giant Eagle, the event didn't require preregistration.
Pikur said the goal was to help as many people as possible.
“That was the ease of this,” Pikur said. “They did not have to register.”
By 1 p.m. Saturday, Pikur estimated between 400 and 500 vehicles received food boxes. Some recipients took several boxes to deliver to people who couldn't attend the event.
Butler resident Debbie Atstupenas stopped by the food distribution around 1 p.m.
She said the rising cost of living makes it difficult for people on Social Security to buy good food each month. “Food is going up,” Atstupenas said. “It's rough.”Holding such a big distribution, according to Pikur, allowed volunteers to build relationships with people through ministry.Allison Park Church has had a Butler campus for several years. It recently moved to 101 Clearview Circle.Though Pikur said the goal of the distribution wasn't to get people to attend church, it's still a way for the food bank to serve the public.“What I like to see is this incredible community spirit,” Pikur said. “This is how God loves you.”Pikur said she expects to have a discussion with her fellow event organizers about the possibility of making the mass distribution a regular event.“It's just been so obvious that there's this need in Butler,” Pikur said.Pikur said those who volunteered — including some who aren't part of Allison Park Church or the food bank — as well as mall officials were extremely supportive Saturday.Pikur estimated before the end of the day that roughly 2,000 boxes of food would be going home with county residents.“It helps,” Atstupenas said. “It helps a lot.”Ultimately, Pikur hopes food distributions such as the one on Saturday solve hunger problems close to home.“My hope for this event is there is no longer a need for this event,” Pikur said.
