West Newton Lions Club partners with faith-based organizations for food giveaway

The Lions Club in West Newton will give out boxes of food to anyone who asks while supplies last Tuesday, part of a regional initiative that will see thousands of pounds of food distributed weekly across Westmoreland County.

“People are hungry, and we’re trying to fill the gap,” said the Rev. Henry Taliercio, executive director of The Father’s Heart Ministries in Penn.

The Father’s Heart partnered with a philanthropic group of farmers to receive a shipment of 1,100 pounds of food a week. Each box weights 35 pounds and contains frozen meat as well as dairy products.

The Father’s Heart will distribute these boxes to local churches and other organizations, which will give them out in their communities.

Taliercio said a full list of participating organizations is not yet available.

Mary Popovich, Mayor of West Newton and president of the West Newton Lions Club, said her club was asked to help with distribution by House of Worship church.

“I said absolutely, without hesitation,” she said.

The West Newton giveaway will begin at 11 a.m. Tuesday at the Lion’s Club, 511 Pittsburgh Street, West Newton. It will end when boxes run out, or at 5 p.m.

Anyone may drive up and receive a box, no questions asked, according to Popovich. Recipients do not need to be from West Newton.

The food giveaways were supposed to start last week, but the tractor-trailer carrying the boxes of food was unable to make it due to the inclement weather, Popovich said.

Taliercio said these giveaways will become weekly events.

This week’s inaugural giveaway has been marketed solely through word of mouth. Taliercio said they wanted to start slow to gauge interest, but he still expects all 1,100 boxes of food to be gone by the end of the day.