North Hills Community Outreach welcomes donations to help others during SNAP pause

With SNAP benefits on pause, North Hills Community Outreach is stepping up to help the people it serves and is asking the community for assistance.

As of Oct. 15, the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services announced that SNAP, a supplemental nutrition assistance program, will not be issued because of the ongoing federal government shutdown.

NHCO serves between 200 to 600 people each month at its food pantry locations in Avalon, Hampton and Millvale.

“NHCO’s vision is that northern Allegheny County is a sharing community where no one needs to be hungry, cold or alone. Our community steps up in times of need to help their neighbors. NHCO exists for moments like this, as individuals, businesses, congregations and civic groups donate food and funds to ensure that every adult and child losing SNAP benefits has the nutrition they need,” said Scott Shaffer, NHCO’s executive director.

The nonprofit also provides emergency food where people can come to any of its three main offices during business hours to get food, according to Jeff Geissler, spokesperson for NHCO.

Paul Ptacek of McCandless has been a volunteer at the food pantry at the Hampton location along Ferguson Road for 15 years, coming three mornings every week. The McCandless resident, who was sorting through a donation Oct. 29, said that the past two weeks have been busier.

Joining him was Jon Jordan, coordinator for all of NHCO food pantries. With the recent SNAP situation and it being so close to the holidays, the donations are certainly welcome, Jordan said.

So far, donors are stepping up.

“We have even seen more of really great response from communities as well, especially at this time of year,” said Jordan, a resident of Pittsburgh’s Garfield neighborhood.

The outreach welcomes monetary donations, as well as donations of nonperishable foods and household items, to help keep the shelves stocked at its three pantries. The pantries are located at the organization’s three offices.

Financial donations can be made online at nhco.org or by sending a check to North Hills Community Outreach, 1975 Ferguson Road, Allison Park, PA 15101.

Food donations may be dropped off at any NHCO office between 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Mondays through Fridays.

This includes its main office at 1975 Ferguson Road, the second floor of the Millvale Community Center at 416 Lincoln Ave. or the North Boroughs office at Greenstone Methodist Church, 939 California Ave., in Avalon.

To help round up nonperishable items, NHCO suggests holding food collections at workplaces or schools and spreading the word to family, friends and neighbors, as well as sharing NHCO social media posts, according to its website.