'Stuff-the-Truck' food drive to benefit Highlands Family Center

Leaders at the Highlands Family Center in Tarentum tried to think outside the box with their latest fundraiser.

Where could they target a crowd of people who might step up to do good for those in need?

“Our food pantry is getting a little scarce, and we thought the Night Market would be the perfect place to appeal for help,” service coordinator Gina Bishop said.

The center will host a Stuff-the-Truck food drive from 5 to 8 p.m. Thursday during the borough’s open-air festivities. Collections will continue during each Tarentum Night Market through November.

“This will definitely help us build up the pantry and, if we do it every month, hopefully we’ll get enough stock to help us through the winter,” Bishop said.

Volunteers actually will be stuffing the center’s van, but the name wasn’t quite as catchy, she said with a laugh.

The Highlands Family Center sits along East Fourth Avenue and is run by the Allegheny Intermediate Unit. The facility offers a bevy of free services including a diaper bank, food pantry, home visits, field trips, parent groups and addiction recovery.

The group serves more than 2,000 families a year, leaders said.

“Food insecurity is a big issue in this area, but what’s nice about our pantry is that there are no income guidelines,” Bishop said. “If you come in and say you need help, you get food.”

There are 80 families enrolled in monthly programs at the center, but the site is utilized by many more from across Allegheny County and portions of Westmoreland County.

People can visit the food bank once a month to receive a box of shelf-stable items and some freezer staples. Items that go the quickest are kid-friendly, single-serve products such as mac and cheese, noodle bowls and granola bars.

The center hopes to stockpile those items and also needs cereal, peanut butter, jelly, rice, syrup, canned vegetables and soup.

Anyone who donates a food item during the Night Market will be entered to win a $25 gift card from Olive Garden.

Prizes will continue each month, thanks to support from local businesses.

Bishop was uncertain where the center’s volunteers will be set up Thursday but said people can look for the van.

“We’ve been offering the food pantry for the last couple of years, and people really seem to respond to it,” she said. “Everyone needs help sometimes.”

Hours at the center are noon to 8 p.m. Mondays and 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesdays through Fridays.