Pittsburgh moving ahead with food justice fund grants after slow start

Pittsburgh is moving ahead with a plan to distribute money from its food justice fund after a slow start that left some activists frustrated.

The city included $3 million in American Rescue Plan Act dollars for the new fund, which intends to bolster fresh food access across the city, in its 2023 budget.

Half of the money was earmarked for grants to small nonprofits. The city would divvy out the cash in grants of between $2,000 and $75,000 for food justice efforts, like community gardens, food banks and distribution networks to help vulnerable communities access fresh produce.

None of that money has moved yet.

For Dana Dolney, a grassroots organizer with Pittsburgh-based nonprofit Just Harvest, the delay has been frustrating.

“I’m very upset because this is an entire growing season where thousands and thousands and thousands and thousands and thousands of pounds of food could’ve been directly distributed to our communities, and we missed this growing season,” she told City Council last week.

The wait is particularly concerning, she said, given that the money comes from the city’s allotment of American Rescue Plan Act dollars, which has a ticking clock. The federal government requires the covid relief money be encumbered by the end of this year and spent by the end of 2026.

Any money not used within that timeframe has to be returned to the federal government.

Joanna Deming, head of the Pittsburgh Food Policy Council, said an 8.2% increase in food costs in Pennsylvania last year makes it harder for people to buy the food they need.

“It is really tough out there,” she said.

The money sitting in the food justice fund, she said, could help communities in need of reliable, affordable food options.

Legislation approved by City Council Tuesday will allow the city to collaborate with Millvale-based New Sun Rising to launch a grant application process, select recipients and get the money into the hands of local organizations.

The organization has done similar work with grant processes before, said Gabriel McMorland, the city’s food justice coordinator.

The measure gives council the authority to vote on the grants and allows the city controller to audit the fund.

The grants, McMorland said, could be used for a “pretty wide range” of initiatives, like refrigerators to store food donations, urban agricultural projects and food-related education.

Grant applications are expected to open this fall, McMorland said.

City Council approved the legislation allowing the city to move ahead with disbursing the funds unanimously. Councilman Anthony Coghill, D-Beechview, was not present for the vote.