Lower Valley Community Food Bank expecting higher demand for food distribution

The Lower Valley Community Food Bank will hold a food distribution from 1 to 3 p.m. Thursday near the rear entrance of the Springdale Borough Building on School Street.

The food bank serves Cheswick, Harmar, Indiana Township, Springdale and Springdale Township. Advance registration is not required.

Director Kathy Otterbeck expects an uptick in those in need as the holiday season ramps up. In addition, numbers will begin to grow as government programs that protected people from hardships such as evictions end, she said.

At the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic, the food bank had “extreme numbers,” she said, but they receded “because there were more opportunities for people to get help. The numbers are coming back up because a lot of programs are fading out or being canceled.”

Distributions have been held outside since the beginning of the pandemic. About 15 to 20 volunteers help load cars with boxes packed with a variety of items such as tuna, canned chicken, juice, dry products, pastas, milk and more.

During the holidays, Otterbeck said, the food bank aims to expand its distribution by collecting rarely donated items desired by specific groups. Crackers and soups, for example, are in demand over the holidays.

Otterbeck said the food bank was able to serve an estimated 160 families around this time last year. So far, 110 to 115 families have been fed this year. The food bank expects to serve close to 150 families this holiday season.

The food bank holds two drives each month. A second distribution will be held Nov. 18 to help families in need prepare for Thanksgiving.

”We are basically trying to do what we can to help the community be able to feed their families,” Otterbeck said.