Fallen Officers Food Drive seeks donations to benefit food banks

The fifth annual Fallen Officers Food Drive will collect nonperishable food Jan. 28 at Mogie’s Irish Pub to benefit the Westmoreland County Food Bank and the St. Margaret Mary Food Bank in Lower Burrell.

The food drive is operated by volunteers, including many active and retired police officers, to help low-income residents and to pay tribute to the community spirit of three local fallen police officers: Lower Burrell Officer Derek Kotecki, New Kensington Officer Brian Shaw and Brackenridge Chief Justin McIntire.

Two Allegheny Township residents, Terry McClain and Leslie Uncapher Zellers, organized the event to help replenish local food banks, as they typically are hard-hit during the holidays.

McClain and Zellers are volunteers and organizers of the Officer Brian Shaw Memorial Scholarship Ride.

“We recognize the importance of our law enforcement officers who do so much to protect and serve our communities,” they said. “We decided to have the food drive in memory of Officer Derek Kotecki and Officer Brian Shaw to honor them and all our law enforcement officers. We have received the blessing of Chief McIntire’s family to add his name and badge number to the Fallen Officers Food Drive as well.”

U-Haul Moving & Storage of Lower Burrell is supplying a box truck to carry the donations to the food banks. Volunteers will be in Mogie’s lower parking lot to load donations from residents’ vehicles into the truck. Cash donations also will be accepted and will be used to buy more nonperishable food to donate to the food banks, Zellers said.

Local police will be among the volunteers helping to load the food donations, said David “Mogie” Magill, owner of Mogie’s and a fundraiser coordinator for events for local fallen officers.

“The food drive shows that local law enforcement and people who support them care about the community,” Magill said.

For details or questions, call Mogie’s Irish Pub at 724 339-6904. Mogie’s is at 3210 Leechburg Road in Lower Burrell.