Community packs 500 Thanksgiving meals at Lemieux Complex in Cranberry Twp.
CRANBERRY TWP — Semper Gratus means “always grateful,” and that spirit filled the UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex last night as volunteers packed, taped and stacked Thanksgiving meal boxes for families they will never meet.
The 500 families who will receive the meals aren’t the only ones feeling grateful. Corporate partners, volunteers and youth athletes said their gratitude comes from the chance to give back and offer a small kindness to others who need help.
The food-packing event was organized by Familylinks, with support from Semper Gratus, Walmart and Pitt Ohio, to assemble Thanksgiving meal kits for distribution later this week.
“Semper giving is proof of what can happen when people and partners come together for something bigger than themselves,” said Ian Coyle, founder and president of Semper Gratus, a nonprofit that supports kindness and community impact. “Each box is packed with hope, and every box is more than a meal. It’s a reminder that kindness still connects us.”
That kindness was visible in the smiles of 34 members of the 2009 Pittsburgh Penguins Elite hockey team, who spent their fourth year helping pack the boxes.
“It feels great just to know we’re making an impact and since our whole team participates, we get to build team chemistry doing good deeds,” said Alex Sargo, 16, a sophomore at North Catholic High School.
Carol Williams, of Leechburg, marketing manager for the Delmont, Latrobe, Greensburg and North Huntingdon Walmart locations, said her stores donated 22 food items and a gift certificate for a turkey to create a complete Thanksgiving meal for a family of four.
“Anything we can do to make food insecurity less stressful is what we want to do,” she said.
She added the number of boxes has grown from 150 four years ago to this year’s 500.
John Laverty, director of data management at Semper Gratus partner First National Bank, packed boxes with his children, Rhys and Zoey.
“We want to serve and support our community,” he said. “That is what FNB is all about.”
Todd Rupert, director of North American operations at Pitt Ohio, said the company will transport the packed boxes to at least four distribution sites next week. He agreed the effort is about working together to give back.
“We want to give back to our community by engaging with organizations that make a valuable impact,” he said.
Laura Galletta, senior director of development for Familylinks, said her organization identifies the families living at or below the poverty level who will receive the boxes.
“We have seen a great uptick in the families that need help, especially since COVID,” she said. “The fact that we can feed 500 families who are experiencing food insecurity, especially around the holiday, helps them know that we care.”
Familylinks also works to help children and adults meet their individual life goals and live safely in their homes by addressing food insecurity, housing, mental health and senior needs.
With the support of volunteers, all 500 boxes were packed and ready to ship out within 40 minutes. Smiles and excited conversations filled the room as volunteers celebrated what they accomplished for others — and the partnership that allowed them to work together for a common goal.
“It’s about giving a family a minute of relief and hope and the knowledge that we haven’t forgotten them,” Coyle said, smiling.
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Volunteers from Semper Gratus, Walmart, UPMC and the Pittsburgh Penguins Elite help fill more than 500 boxes with Thanksgiving meals at UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex in Cranberry Township on Wednesday, Nov. 19, 2025. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle
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Owen Hammel helps gather boxes to fill as volunteers from Semper Gratus, Walmart, UPMC and the Pittsburgh Penguins Elite help fill more than 500 boxes with Thanksgiving meals at UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex in Cranberry Township on Wednesday, Nov. 19, 2025. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle
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Peter Pastiva gathers bags of potatoes as volunteers from Semper Gratus, Walmart, UPMC and the Pittsburgh Penguins Elite help fill more than 500 boxes with Thanksgiving meals at UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex in Cranberry Township on Wednesday, Nov. 19, 2025. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle
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Peter Pastiva gathers bags of potatoes as volunteers from Semper Gratus, Walmart, UPMC and the Pittsburgh Penguins Elite help fill more than 500 boxes with Thanksgiving meals at UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex in Cranberry Township on Wednesday, Nov. 19, 2025. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle
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Nash Nolte breaks down boxes as volunteers from Semper Gratus, Walmart, UPMC and the Pittsburgh Penguins Elite help fill more than 500 boxes with Thanksgiving meals at UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex in Cranberry Township on Wednesday, Nov. 19, 2025. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle
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Dominic Desimone throws onions into boxes as volunteers from Semper Gratus, Walmart, UPMC and the Pittsburgh Penguins Elite help fill more than 500 boxes with Thanksgiving meals at UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex in Cranberry Township on Wednesday, Nov. 19, 2025. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle
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Brady Parris gathers cornbread as volunteers from Semper Gratus, Walmart, UPMC and the Pittsburgh Penguins Elite help fill more than 500 boxes with Thanksgiving meals at UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex in Cranberry Township on Wednesday, Nov. 19, 2025. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle
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Brady Parris gathers cornbread as volunteers from Semper Gratus, Walmart, UPMC and the Pittsburgh Penguins Elite help fill more than 500 boxes with Thanksgiving meals at UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex in Cranberry Township on Wednesday, Nov. 19, 2025. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle
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Mike Sargo fills a pallet with boxes of food as volunteers from Semper Gratus, Walmart, UPMC and the Pittsburgh Penguins Elite help fill more than 500 boxes with Thanksgiving meals at UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex in Cranberry Township on Wednesday, Nov. 19, 2025. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle
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Shantel Knapik securely tapes boxes of food as volunteers from Semper Gratus, Walmart, UPMC and the Pittsburgh Penguins Elite help fill more than 500 boxes with Thanksgiving meals at UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex in Cranberry Township on Wednesday, Nov. 19, 2025. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle
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Riley Edwards puts bags of potatoes into boxes as volunteers from Semper Gratus, Walmart, UPMC and the Pittsburgh Penguins Elite help fill more than 500 boxes with Thanksgiving meals at UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex in Cranberry Township on Wednesday, Nov. 19, 2025. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle
