Feeding the Flock Ministries opened its Harmar food pantry Thursday, ending a months-long permitting dispute with the township.
“It’s wonderful,” Director Michele Bock said. “I’m just hoping that moving forward we can be a good neighbor to the community.”
Feeding the Flock, a nonprofit food ministry, is located at the former Kingdom Hall of Jehovah’s Witnesses building at 490 Nixon Road.
The organization and township recently reached a settlement allowing the food pantry to operate. The deal ended a court appeal seeking to reverse an April decision by the township’s zoning hearing board, which sided with Harmar’s zoning officer in denying Feeding the Flock a permit to operate the pantry.
Cheswick’s Donna Sloan, who checked out the pantry Thursday, thinks it will be good for the community.
“It will kind of bring us together, in a way,” she said. “We’ll all get together and we’ll get to do some shopping together and meet new people. We’ll get to see new faces and talk to new people.”
The food pantry has the feel of a neighborhood grocery store.
People pushed shopping carts up and down aisles Thursday where shelves were stacked with canned foods, boxed snacks, breads, coffee, juices, cereals and peanut butter. Walk-in freezers were filled with frozen and refrigerated items, and a produce section offered fresh fruits and vegetables.
All of the items are free, but there is limit to how much food is available.
Ministry member Deann Wertz said the pantry is set up to be welcoming and personable.
“You’re getting to know the people that are coming here,” she said. “It’s family coming to your family grocery store, versus just being handed stuff.”
According to Feeding the Flock’s settlement with the township, the food pantry is allowed to operate one day a week for up to seven hours.
As a result, its pantry will be open every Thursday from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., and from 3 to 7 p.m.
The pantry will serve residents of Harrison, Brackenridge, Tarentum, Fawn, East Deer, Frazer, Cheswick, Harmar, Springdale, Springdale Township, West Deer, Indiana Township, O’Hara, Aspinwall, Blawnox, Fox Chapel and Sharpsburg.
Families can get food from the pantry twice a month. The number of items they are given is based on inventory and family size.
No proof of income is needed.
The goal is to feed 500 families on a biweekly basis.
Tarentum’s Pamela Drum, a married mother of seven, is used to going to a food bank in Hampton.
“It’s a great area to have it — there’s nothing around here,” said Drum, 34. “We got a lot of mouths to feed so this is definitely helpful.”
Madasyn Lee is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Madasyn at [email protected], 724-226-4702 or via Twitter.
