Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank To Benefit From 2nd Annual 'Feed The Need' Radiothon

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- Tuesday marks one year since NewsChopper2 flew high above long lines at the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank in Duquesne.

It was a sight to see very early on in the pandemic.

The need for help is just as great now as it was a year ago.

Entercom is hosting its 2nd annual Feed the Need radiothon on Tuesday, with several of its stations involved.

The event will last all day and stretch into the evening.

Giant Eagle, Entercom Radio, and the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank are teaming up to host the event.

You can donate online or by sending a text message.

Meanwhile, since the virus hit our area, food insecurity has increased significantly.

According to a new report from the Food Bank, between March 16, 2020 and February 28, 2021, they distributed more than 46 million meals throughout 11 counties in the area.

In addition, the pandemic has also led the Food Bank to create a program to deliver meals to help people who are homebound.

It also found them starting a call center because they were receiving so many calls every day from people seeking help.

"That's cause the need has increased. We are projecting this year a 42% increase in the the number of people needing food assistance. That's gone from 270,000 to over 360,000 people in need," said Lisa Scales, CEO of the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank.

Last year, more than 1.5 million meals were funded through the 'Feed the Need' event.

This is huge and shows the need is not going anywhere anytime soon.

The Food Bank says because the pandemic has made such a significant impact, they expect the demand to stay at its current level for several months, maybe even years.

If you need help, there is a drive this Friday in Aliquippa and another event Saturday in McKeesport.

You need to make a reservation before you go. For more information, click here.