City families in need shouldn’t have to travel for food
It’s a 25 minute drive between Butler Area School District’s Broad Street Elementary and Karns City Area Jr./Sr. High School.
It’s an 18-minute drive from Emily Brittain Elementary School and Dassa McKinney Elementary School, and a 21-minute drive will get you from Broad Street Elementary School to Knoch Primary School.
The destinations above are where the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank is bringing food distribution days this summer — and among the list of places that Butler Area School District parents are advised to look for free food if needed over the summertime.
The drive-through distributions will no doubt provide needed nourishment for families across Butler County. Families can receive groceries at no cost, and preregistration/ identification is not required at these locations.
Butler Area superintendent Brian White isn’t wrong for sending out the potential resource to families. Anyone can attend those distributions, and those in need who can make the trek, will maybe do so.
And to be fair, White’s newsletter also made note of Community Meals held in downtown Butler.
It’s sad for the families of Butler County that no one has stepped up to run the Child Summer Food Service and Activities programs at Rotary Park, Institute Hill Playground and Father Marinaro Park.
The programs were run by Grace Youth and Family Foundation, but the organization announced plans to close for the summer. The foundation’s founder, Bill Halle, later was charged with four felonies, including sexual assault by a volunteer or employee of a nonprofit and corruption of minors.
For reference, the drive from from Butler High School to Father Marinaro Park is roughly 10 minutes.
From Emily Brittain to Institute Hill Playground, it’s five minutes by car.
The trek from Broad Street to Rotary Park is two minutes by car — or eight minutes by foot.
The city of Butler had paid about $8,000 per season previously for the program run by Grace Youth and Family Foundation.
The last day of school for Butler Area School District was Friday, June 9. At that time, more than 430 elementary students in the district went home with backpacks full of food provided by the Golden Tornado Scholastic Foundation. Many of the items packed will not expire before the start of the next school year, but that food, however, won’t last through August.
There’s still time for someone, some organization to step up. Contact the city of Butler and make this program — or another version of it – happen.
— TL
