How Pittsburgh's 3 sports teams help keep neighbors fed during holiday season

From the gridiron to the ice to the diamond, Pittsburgh's three major professional sports teams deliver. But what you might not always see is how they also deliver for our neighbors in need.

"The Penguins, Pirates and Steelers are great partners with us year-round," said Brian Gulish, the vice president of marketing and communications for The Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank.

Gulish says the three teams have always helped in big and small ways but really ramped up their commitment five years ago.

"Since 2021, during the peak of the pandemic, the three teams came to us, and they expressed an interest in wanting to do more with the organization to support our neighbors during such a trying time in the community and across the country and, quite frankly, the world," said Gulish.

So, they came up with the idea for a food distribution the Tuesday before Thanksgiving on the North Shore called 'Burgh Proud, and they've been doing it every year since.

"It's a tremendous opportunity for us to partner with those teams, especially during the time of the year where you want to have a hot meal with family and friends," Gulish said. 

Earlier this year, they added another component to it called the 'Burgh Proud Challenge. The Richard King Mellon Foundation pledged $1 million and asked the community to match it.

"We had more than 3,500 fundraisers, people who organized teams to raise those funds, and collectively we raised more than $1.1 million," Gulish said.

It wasn't just a fundraising challenge, though. There was also a challenge to get active during the month of June. 

"They had to commit to walking a mile a day," Gulish added. "So, that would be 30 miles. And we saw a tremendous outpouring of support for that."

This year's 'Burgh Proud food distribution will be on Tuesday, Nov. 24, with enough food for 350 local families.

"There will be turkeys and food boxes with all the fixings — things like sweet potatoes, radishes, carrots, and onions. You'll also get some dry supplies in there as well," said Gulish.

There will also be gift cards from Giant Eagle.

"So if there's something you don't get at that distribution, you can go and get pies or anything you need from Giant Eagle," Gulish added. 

There's no registration required, and the three teams will put out the time and location details on their social media platforms the weekend prior.

"It's special because there's a purpose behind it," Gulish said. "You're helping people. You're helping someone who you may not see on the outside that is experiencing food insecurity, but it could be your neighbor, it could be your family, a friend, a loved one or someone down the street that you don't know. So, you can't judge a book by its cover. And to make sure that people have the resources they need to thrive, that's really what it's all about."

And the KDKA Turkey Fund is another way you can be 'Burgh Proud and help our neighbors.

Here's how you can donate to it. You can go to any PNC Bank. If you donate in person, they'll match all donations, up to $100,000. You can donate online at kdkaturkeyfund.com. You can text "kdturkey" to 50155. Or you can mail a check to P.O. Box Thanks, Pittsburgh, PA 15230.

From all of us at KDKA-TV, thank you!