Community donates $90,000-plus to pop-up food distribution
Courtesy of Dave Rhome
Cars line up with in Canonsburg awaiting food distribution over the summer.
Volunteers load the truck of a car during a Canonsburg food distribution at United Presbyterian Church in August.
Editor’s note: This story is part of an occasional series in which the Observer-Reporter will highlight acts of kindness by community members throughout December.
When Canonsburg Mayor Dave Rhome learned schools would be shutting down March 16 because of the novel coronavirus pandemic, one thought struck him.
The closures occurred without a provision to replace the meals children, especially those at poverty level, would normally receive during the school day, he said he realized.
As an organizer of the 2000 Turkeys Thanksgiving fundraiser, Rhome and Canonsburg Ministerial Association were moved to mobilize a series of pop-up food pantries.
“I said, as the mayor, our people cannot go hungry,” Rhome recalled. “I didn’t know if we could do it for a day here or a day there.”
The first week, 900 vehicles arrived, then leveled off to 350 to 400 families, augmented by an additional 100 when a fourth parish, Miraculous Medal of Meadow Lands, participates.
One thing he didn’t know was the solution to feed people in need in March would still be operating as 2020 drew to a close and would touch 10,200 families.
“I was able to bring a lot of people together,” Rhome said of the ministerial association, the Rev. Don Coleman of Canonsburg United Presbyterian Church, other pastors and volunteer Toni Vallone.
Recipients have been from all walks of life, including those who have “lost six-figure jobs” because of the economic fallout from COVID-19, Rhome said.
In the aftermath of Thanksgiving, Canonsburg-Houston Ministerial Association publicly thanked the community for financial support for the pop-up food pantry that has topped $90,000.
That figure does not include products donated through federal government farm-to-table or truck-to-trunk programs that provided, over 12 weeks, produce, dairy, vegetables and meat.
Distribution of lunch items are scheduled from 1 to 2:30 p.m. Thursdays Dec. 3, 10 and 17 at three locations: Holy Rosary Church, 246 Muse-Bishop Road; Canonsburg United Presbyterian Church, 112 W. Pike St.; and Faith Chapel, 9 Lawrence Street, Lawrence.
No registration is required, and the distribution will take place while supplies last. All required precautions to reduce the spread of the virus will be implemented.
Anyone who would like to make a tax-deductible contribution can mail checks to Greater Canonsburg-Houston Ministerial Association, P.O. Box 206, Canonsburg, PA 15317.
“The hope was that we would be put out of business by now, but that’s not going to happen,” Rhome said Tuesday.
“And as we speak right now, we anticipate we will continue through the first of the year,” he added. “We don’t want our people to go hungry, and the generosity has been overwhelming.”
To share a story about an act of kindness, email staff writer Katie Anderson at kanderson@observer-reporter.com.