With what turned out to be a record-setting shutdown of the federal government delaying Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits for millions of Americans, Bethel Park resident Tyann Neal decided to practice what she preaches.

“I was looking at social media one day, and people were posting so many negative things. And I always tell my kids, ‘If you’re going to complain about it, you’ve got to take action,’ ” she said. “You can’t just complain. It doesn’t solve the issues.”

Her solution was to initiate a collection that brought in a ton and a half of food for donation to local nonprofits in early November, an effort that continues a family tradition of helping others: “My grandmother had a soup kitchen in McKeesport her whole life.”

Following a discussion with her mother, Karen Hecht, and daughter Sarah Neal, a Bethel Park High School senior, Tyann put out a call on social media for donations.

“Everyone was sharing it like crazy, which was awesome,” she said.

The drop-off point was at Peters Creek Baptist Church on the Bethel Park-South Park line, which she attends.

The original intent was to benefit South Hills Interfaith Movement, which has its main office in Bethel Park, and the Finleyville Food Pantry, based in Monongahela. Another nonprofit – Life Builders, which distributes food at Shiloh Church in South Park – contacted Neal about being included.

“I said, sure, and I divided it three ways. We organized it all in my basement. My friends came over, my daughter, my mother, and we put all the soups together, all the cereals together. And then we divided it the best we could,” she said. “I never dreamt that I would have gotten that much food.”

The first delivery, to SHIM, weighed in at about 1,000 pounds, giving her a good idea about the total collected prior to her visiting Life Builders and Finleyville.

“Both those other two, they barely had anything on their shelves,” she said. “They were so excited, and they couldn’t thank us enough.”

The Rev. Kelly Gilliam, Life Builders executive director and Shiloh Church executive pastor/elder, expressed her gratitude to Neal.

“What she did was overwhelming, the response for her of how many people came out and showed the support,” Gilliam said. “I’ve seen it time and time again, where the community will come out when you put a call out to really help people in need.”

In addition to food distributions the first Friday of each month, her organization hosts activities such as a summer CommUNITY Day, during which students receive book bags and supplies for the coming school year, along with brand-new tennis shoes.

Coats, Gloves and Love was in October, providing youngsters with warm clothing as winter approached. Two events are scheduled for the holidays: a Kids Christmas Party from 6 to 8 p.m. Dec. 19 and CommUNITY Christmas Blessings from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. the following day.

For the latter, parents and caregivers can pick out gifts for children, and others are invited to attend for a time of fellowship.

“We have a little something just to help spread some joy during the holidays, especially for people who are older and isolated,” Gilliam said. “Sometimes holidays aren’t so happy if you don’t have your family around.”

As for the Finleyville Food Pantry, the Neal family has helped before, during the early stages of the covid-19 pandemic in 2020.

Tyann’s daughter Abigail, then a Bethel Park High School freshman, baked biscotti, sold the treats online and donated the $1,100 in proceeds to SHIM and Finleyville.

“They’re really good people,” food pantry director Pat Trumpie said, and such efforts help address what she sees as an ongoing concern. “There are so many in need. So many are losing their jobs, and that’s what’s hard. You get people who are signing up for the first time, and emotions are high. And a lot of them are scared because they don’t know what’s going to happen next.

“We have people who say, ‘What do we do? Do we eat, or do we pay for our prescriptions?’ ”

The Finleyville Food Pantry has distributions every Saturday. Along with meeting their nutritional needs, Trumpie is ready to help people in any way she can.

“I’m always available for them,” she said, “and they know that.”

Copyright ©2025— Trib Total Media, LLC (TribLIVE.com)