People served by the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank will receive a protein boost, thanks to a donation of more than 5,000 pounds of fresh deli meats, sausages and cheese from Dietz & Watson.

The Philadelphia-based deli company presented the donation Tuesday at the food bank’s Duquesne headquarters, along with retail partner Giant Eagle, as part of its Families Helping Families in-store program.

The size of the donation was based on a percentage of purchases of Dietz & Watson products in area Giant Eagle meat and deli departments during a promotion period in November and December.

“It’s great to be able to provide such high-quality food to our families during these difficult times, and it’s very important for our families to have healthy options,” said Charlese Hayden McKinney, the food bank’s director of partner network programs. “We don’t want to be feeding our families junk; we want to make sure they’re getting high-quality, nutritious foods, and that’s one of the many reasons we’re so grateful to receive this donation today.”

Shirley McMarlin | Tribune-Review From left: Dietz & Watson staffers Broghan Heron and Michelle Denk; and Charlese Hayden McKinney, director of partner network programs for Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank accompanied a Dietz & Watson truck carrying a 2.5-ton food donation to the food bank.  

The donation comes at an opportune time, as food banks often see a lull in donations in the late winter, according to Michelle Denk, Dietz & Watson’s account manager for Giant Eagle.

“We know there are families for whom food insecurity is a reality all year-round,” she said. “This is an opportunity to get protein and meals that are easy to prepare into homes. We know that protein isn’t something that is donated as much as canned goods or shelf-stable items.”

The premium meats and cheeses will be distributed through the food bank’s 800 partner programs in an 11-county service area, either in grocery form or in prepared meals, Hayden McKinney said.

Food given to the Pittsburgh food bank represents a portion of 30,000 pounds of Dietz & Watson products being distributed in areas served by Giant Eagle stores.

“We will cover six of the large regional food banks in Giant Eagle’s footprint with this program,” Denk said, including Erie in Pennsylvania and Youngstown, Cleveland, Akron and Columbus in Ohio.

Dietz & Watson runs Families Helping Families in conjunction with partner supermarkets around the country. For every pound of the company’s meats or cheeses purchased at a participating supermarket during the promotion, a donation was made to the charity selected by the retailer.

“I think (Families Helping Families) is such a great name, because Dietz & Watson is a fourth-generation, family-owned company, and Giant Eagle is also family owned and operated,” Denk said. “It’s a way that we’re able to give back to our local communities.

“There’s a way to be neighborly if we search our hearts, and we’re fortunate to be able to do this as part of our work,” she added.

Now in its fourth year, Families Helping Families has resulted in donations of nearly a half-million dollars in cash and product to local charities and food banks nationwide.

For information on food bank services, call 412-460-3663 or visit pittsburghfoodbank.org.

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