Wilkinsburg Community Ministry

We Share Food with residents of Wilkinsburg and adjacent neighborhoods of East Homewood, East Liberty, Park Place, Regent Square, Swissvale, Braddock, Edgewood, Forest Hills, and areas of Penn Hills.

We offer our neighbors a diversified and, we hope, sustainable, source of fresh food in addition to a variety of processed foods provided by the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank. Community food banks and their network of pantries are designed around an emergency model to provide food in such one-off circumstances as natural disasters (hurricane, flood), military disasters (9/11), and economic/medical disasters (pandemic).

Initially, these were considered short-term challenges, not the long-term crises that they have become, and certainly not the life-long crises that our neighbors in Wilkinsburg, Homewood, Edgewood, and Swissvale face due to the income disparity endemic in our region. With fresh food provided by local gardeners and relationships with the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank, 412 Food Rescue, Trader Joe’s, Market District, and Whole Foods, we anticipate a more balanced source of foods.

We Share Food with over 5,000 residents per year, including senior citizens, citizens with disabilities, at-risk youth, and families who are economically challenged, underemployed, or facing emergency situations.

Wilkinsburg’s challenges are well publicized. In the past sixty years, the community has seen a decline in population, income, and the departure of businesses. Wilkinsburg residents – current and former – continue to work to revitalize their borough, rejuvenate the education system, and solve the problems associated with poverty.

The outcomes of our programs include reducing hunger in Wilkinsburg, supporting the health and well-being of our senior citizen neighbors, helping economically-challenged families have basic necessities, and keeping Wilkinsburg streets safer through partnerships with educational and after-school youth programs. We welcome you to learn more about our Food Sharing program. We urge you to get involved in the Wilkinsburg community by volunteering and/or making a donation at our Give Lively page.