412 Food Rescue holding last scheduled Farmers to Families food distribution

Anyone in need of food will have two opportunities on Saturday to receive a box of fresh produce and dairy items.

A USDA Farmers to Families walk-up and drive-up food distribution by 412 Food Rescue is scheduled for 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Edgewood Town Centre in Swissvale, and 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. at the Washington County Fairgrounds in Washington, Pa.

Up to 2,000 households will be served with each receiving a box of food from local donors Schneider’s Dairy and Paragon Foods.

Since March, the nonprofit organization has distributed over 24,000 meals to bus stops in Pittsburgh, McKeesport School District, Sto-Rox School District, started a home delivery program and distributed food boxes to more than 1,700 households in Pittsburgh and Beaver County.

“Our strategy at 412 Food Rescue has always been to get food to where people already are,” said Senior Program Director Jen England. “During covid-19, we’re connecting the USDA’s Farmers to Families food boxes with our region’s highest need communities.”

This is the last scheduled Farmers to Families mass food distribution 412 Food Rescue has scheduled for 2020. However, organizers say the program has received additional funding from the Trump administration and the USDA.

“I anticipate that once the local donors like Paragon and Monteverde, a produce and food distributor, begin receiving contract awards then those distributions will continue,” said David Primm, 412 Food Rescue chief operating officer.

“In the future, the boxes being distributed will be a combination of produce, protein and a dairy item so it’s a more robust box for each individual household. The goal is to provide more variety in each offering.”

Primm said another goal is to resume having food distributions at least once a week between now and the end of the year.

“We’ve had pretty high volume and the need still exists. It’s not going away anytime soon when you factor in the increased food insecurity projections and the economic uncertainty that appears to be ahead.”