Fox Chapel Presbyterian asks people to Fill-a-Truck for local food pantries

An annual food collection at Fox Chapel Presbyterian Church will help local food banks bridge the gap between the holidays and spring time drives, pantry leaders said.

The Fill-a-Truck event in early February, split between the Bread of Life in Etna, St. Vincent de Paul in Sharpsburg and Council of Three Rivers American Indian Center in Indiana Township, usually brings in enough items to pack a 10-foot box truck.

“Without their event, we would have to purchase food items over the winter months,” said BJ George, director of the Sharpsburg food pantry. “They are always very generous supporting us.”

This year’s Fill-a-Truck will be from 8:30 to 11 a.m. Feb. 7 in the church parking lot off Field Club Road.

Items needed include boxed dinners, pasta sauce, pancake mix and syrup, jelly, canned chili, stew, soup, boxed broth, gravy, hot cocoa, tea, tuna, salmon, chicken pouches/cans, cake and brownie mixes, cereal, cooking oil, salad dressing, condiments, canned fruits and vegetables, gift cards for fresh groceries, napkins, paper towels, toilet paper, tissues, toiletries and diapers.

Event coordinator John Musgrave said the truck was brimming with items bound for a needy home last year.

“If I had to venture a guess, I would say we had about 100 people donating items last year,” Musgrave said.

The help is more than appreciated, it is a savior for the food pantry, George said.

Founded in 1954, the Sharpsburg food pantry is run by St. Vincent de Paul and serves about 150 families a month. That translates to about 300 people who get enough food to supplement their monthly grocery budget with a box full of potatoes, pasta and peanut butter, among other items.

The gap between the holidays and spring time, when scouts and the U.S. Postal Service conduct food drives, is critical to helping people stay afloat, she said.

Longtime church volunteer Richard Sweringen said Fox Chapel Presbyterian never fails to help those in need.

His reason for giving his time to help load the truck is simple, Sweringen said.

“I don’t like seeing people suffer, especially the younger generation,” he said. “This food that we collect in one day goes a long way for these three food pantries which puts a smile on our congregation’s faces.”