Dec 23, 2020 3 min read

In the midst of a national pandemic, without regard to the potential impact on individuals, children and families, Greater Washington County Food Bank (GWCFB) closed the doors of 14 local food pantries in nine months. Hundreds of kids, seniors, veterans and families no longer had the support and stability of a local community pantry, all during a time of unprecedented unemployment.

Local food pantries have relied heavily upon volunteers to operate. Over the past year, these volunteers, the individuals served, and former Greater Washington County Food Bank employees made similar complaints, all requesting help. The nature of those complaints included 64% of the public food pantries being shut down, without proper notice, stakeholder input, and without justification. These closures, along with the elimination of weekend operation hours, created food inaccessibility. Also, the quantity and quality of food delivered to the food pantries was in question, as expired and “rotten” food was allegedly provided for distribution, while other pantries reported being without food to provide for emergency situations. Some of the local food pantries, with their own donated monies, began purchasing food, as none wished to turn away anyone in need.

Connie Burd, executive director of GWCFB, stated they planned to continue to eliminate local food pantries, along with eliminating weekend distributions. On Oct. 5, 2020, she stated to our director of Human Services that the local food pantry coordinators “are the problem” and “they are controlling people who think they know best.” She added, “We don’t have to answer to anyone other than our board.”

The allocation of state and federal monies to counties is designed to supplement food pantry efforts to reduce hunger. This year, GWCFB was given an allocation $206,272 to support part of their stated mission, which is to “form lasting solutions to hunger insecurity through effective food distribution systems….” It was our hope that they would reconsider their fast-paced plan to eliminate local public pantries, but they declined.

Moving forward, these monies will continue to be dedicated to Washington County, but managed by Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank (GPCFB), to prevent additional pantry closures and allow for expansion. As a result, on Dec. 17, 2020, one of the last pantries to have been closed reopened in time for the holidays. It also allows for grant funding to support local pantries – from the purchase of refrigeration units, to assistance with inclement weather distribution. More importantly, it allows for a higher quantity of quality purchased food to be directly distributed to local food pantries.

We stand by the decision to stop the elimination of local food pantries, to improve the quality of food provided, and to increase the amount of food accessible to reduce hunger. We ask for your help in supporting the local food pantries in Washington County.

Diana Irey Vaughan is the chairman of the Washington County Board of Commissioners.