Cars line up hours early for Leechburg food giveaway

A free food event set for noon in Leechburg on Saturday was over before it was supposed to begin, a stark reminder of how great the pandemic’s burden has been on so many people.

The drive-thru event at the Leechburg Volunteer Fire Department — the first of four scheduled for this month and hosted by the Kiski Valley Community Church — was to hand out boxes of food to anyone in need.

People began lining up in their vehicles hours early, and Pastor Tom Pugh said the line of cars eventually backed up onto some of the more major streets in the area. By 11 a.m., he said, police asked the volunteers to start early to ease the traffic.

Pugh said the turnout is indicative of the need.

The church received around 1,100 boxes of perishable food — each containing milk, cheese, meat and fruit — and gave around 500 or so to other churches in the region. The rest — another 500 or 600 — were handed out within an hour Saturday.

The event was partnership with USDA Farmers to Families Food Box and Convoy of Hope.

Similar drive-up events will be held each Saturday in February at the same site.

The USDA announced in January the purchase of $1.5 billion worth of food to distribute nationwide as millions feel the financial crunch of the covid-19 pandemic. Through its partnerships, the USDA has distributed more than 132 million boxes of food across the country.

Pugh said earlier in the week he and his church had been “praying for an opportunity” to help community members in need.

“When I was invited to be part of the program, we jumped on it,” he said.

He encouraged residents to watch the church’s Facebook page for updates on distributions next weekend and beyond. It’s where he alerted people to the fact the distribution was beginning early Saturday.

The Facebook page is at facebook.com/kiskivalleycommunitychurch