Good Run: 'Pit crews' race to distribute food
SARVER — If you were casually driving along Route 356 and noticed the hundreds of cars in the Lernerville Speedway parking lot Tuesday morning, you may have thought it was race day — but it wasn't. The Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank held a distribution outside the race track.
Unlike traditional races in which pit crews change tires in an instant, volunteers hustled to load more than 600 boxes of food into the backs of cars, trucks and SUVs as quickly as possible. With vehicles lined up in the parking lot, eight rows deep, the 45 volunteers had to keep a brisk pace to keep the line moving.
Jeannie Kruidenier, former CEO of Aluminum and Carbon Plus in Portersville, who directed traffic, wasn't surprised by the need, but couldn't believe this was happening in “America.”
“I can't believe this is in our own backyard,” Kruidenier exclaimed.Brian Komoroski of Gibsonia took the day off from work to volunteer and wasn't surprised either at the need as he put it, “… especially the way 2020 is going.”Ken Baker of Hermitage felt the distribution went very “smoothly.” He said Lernerville's setup was more beneficial than the previous distributions at the Butler Fair Grounds.“It's very well done,” said Baker, who joined the Pennsylvania Volunteers group to lend the Butler County Sheriff's Office a hand with traffic control. “(The food distribution) is needed in the community … It's great to get help to folks that need it before the holidays.”
Jordan Hartman, distribution manager for the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank, has been coordinating the food distributions once a month since July. According to Hartman, 600 people pre-registered for the Lernerville event.He said 90% to 95% of people are pre-registering for the events and the “word is spreading.”Volunteers distributed boxes of food from the USDA “Farmers to Families” food box. Boxes included produce, cheese, milk, meats and pantry items.“People are getting stretched thin because of COVID,” Hartman said. “We are prepared to meet the needs in the community.”The 45 volunteers helped to distribute more than 600 boxes of food, direct traffic and hand out fliers on how to register for the next distribution to be held at Lernerville Speedway at 313 N. Pike Road in Sarver on Dec. 22.While reservations are not open for the next Lernerville distribution, those in need can sign up at https://www.pittsburghfoodbank.org/get-help/drive-up once the event is available on the organization's calendar.
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