Free meals for Fox Chapel Area School District families doled out weekly at Blawnox firehall

Free grab-and-go meals will be available in Blawnox each Tuesday through Feb. 2 for Fox Chapel Area School District families.

Sponsored by Backpack for Hunger and Fox Families Care, the meals will be served at the Blawnox firehall, 376 Freeport Road.

“This is for anyone,” volunteer Lisa Bowden said. “There are no income requirements.”

Borough manager Kathy Ulanowicz said families can access meals from 5 to 6 p.m. Everyone is required to wear a mask to enter the firehall.

Organizers said the program is considered to be a win-win since food will be purchased from borough restaurants.

Tonight (Jan. 12), food will be served from Pizza Bella. On Jan. 19, meals will come from Route 28 Bar and Grill.

“We think this is a way to help the residents as well as the businesses,” Bowden said.

Backpack for Hunger was founded in 2015 to help combat hunger in the district. The group doles out bags of food on Fridays to ensure children eat a nourished meal on weekends.

There are about 800 district students who qualify for the free/reduced lunch program.

Fox Families Care is a newer group which also works to bridge the gap between the needs and resources of district children. Volunteers provide clothes, glasses, toiletries and other special needs.

The two groups worked together previously in the spring of 2020, when schools were closed by covid-19. They joined with other local agencies to provide more than 10,000 meals to children who were missing school breakfasts and lunches.

Bowden said a dinner program was also offered in spring with much success, with about 150 people turning out each week for meals in Blawnox.

“We did it when the pandemic first hit, hoping to help people who were experiencing food insecurity because of the economic stress,” she said.

“We will serve until the food runs out.”