Charleroi council hears plea to help food pantry - Observer-Reporter

Charleroi council hears plea to help food pantry - Observer-Reporter

CHARLEROI – Charleroi Food Pantry at Holy Ghost Byzantine Orthodox Church is in need of help after it suffered water damage Tuesday and lost about 35 cases of food and other items.

Charleroi Councilwoman Jeannine Motycki requested borough council help at Thursday’s meeting by allowing the borough building to be a drop-off location for donations to the food pantry. “As a community, we need to show these people that someone cares,” she said.

Motycki added nonperishable items such as boxed foods and paper products were destroyed when a water leak caused the basement ceiling to collapse. She added if the food pantry at 828 Meadow Ave. doesn’t receive donations from the community, it will have to purchase the items to get through the end of the month. The Charleroi Food Pantry services about 230 families per month.

Council President Jerry Jericho said the borough building can be used as a drop-off point for food donations. A list of needed items and hours to drop off the items will be listed on the Borough of Charleroi Facebook page.

In other news, former Charleroi Police Chief Armand “Cack” Constantino asked council to help with a historical display of the borough’s police force.

He said he has items such as an old beaver hat and badge with a photograph of a former officer and photographs of every police chief since the formation of the department in the 1890s.

“I think this would be important to our kids to share this part of our history,” he said.

Jericho said council would support the endeavor in any way it could, adding he may be able to get a lighted case or shelving for the display. Resident Dave DiPiazza said another option for display cases would be to contact Mon Valley Career and Technology Center and have the students make a custom display case. The items would be displayed in the borough building.