412 Food Rescue helps feed Pittsburghers in need year round

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) - We're in what many call the season of giving, but for one organization, they say their giving is done all year round.

Several times a week, boxes of food move through a hallway at UPMC Passavant and are loaded into a vehicle. Thanks to 412 Food Rescue, that food then makes its way to local people in need.

"When we pick up food from a donor, it usually stays in that neighborhood, in that community. Donors love that too. They want to know that their contribution will help their neighbors," says 412 Food Rescue chief operating officer Jennifer England. 

The nonprofit partners with numerous local businesses, groups and hospitals, like UPMC. 

Thanks to 412 Food Rescue's app, which is easily downloadable onto a phone, anyone at any time can volunteer.

"This is homegrown technology developed by software engineers and local people to Pittsburgh, and now it's being used by organizations in 16 other locations," says England.

"Started as simple as one rescue a week, and it has literally mushroomed into 20 rescues a week," said 412 Food Rescue volunteer Jan Williams. 

Williams has been a volunteer with 412 Food Rescue for years, and she says what she gets in return has changed her life. 

"When we take food to a place, the people who need it, their faces light up. Some people are hit harder than others," said Williams.

And the rescue goes beyond helping people. It also betters the environment.

The nonprofit says the food that's collected in many cases would end up thrown away if it weren't donated. 

"If you think about all the restaurants, all the grocery stores, all the hospitals and schools, everywhere that food waste is happening. And sometimes it's just a small tray of food," said England.

On a recent trip, volunteer Jan and her helper delivered muffins, fruit cups and other items from UPMC Passavant to a senior high-rise in the North Hills. Kim Reiner, who works at UPMC, is the one who put everything together. 

"It gives you a good feeling. It gives you an uplift knowing that you're helping someone in need," said Reiner.

In this case, it wasn't about the amount donated, but rather the time that was put in to make this delivery happen.

"Anything that's offered helps someone, from an individual to a community," said Williams.