East Huntingdon warehouse serves as stage for 412 Food Rescue

Hundreds of boxes of food were loaded into volunteers’ cars Wednesday in East Huntingdon, an attempt by 412 Food Rescue to help Westmoreland County residents impacted by the coronavirus pandemic.

A group of nine volunteers, including two 412 Food Rescue staff and several from the American Red Cross, worked tirelessly in a hot RIDC Westmoreland warehouse to load and send off produce and dairy products to places where there is limited access to food and to where vulnerable populations are impacted by covid-19.

“This is an important thing to do because there has historically been unequal access to food,”said Jacob Tepperman, program manager with 412 Food Rescue. “There have been, historically, food deserts, transportation deserts all across the country. We are trying to get food into the areas where there is a lack of access to food for a number of different reasons.”

Those issues only have increased in the wake of the pandemic.

Over the past two months, the nonprofit organization moved a little over 1 million pounds of food, a grim milestone that has been reached by several food organizations in the region as thousands of people lined up for food giveaways in April and May. According to Tepperman, between 250,000 and 300,000 pounds are typically moved during an average month.

Nonprofits such as 412 Food Rescue are able to continue providing boxes of food thanks to the Coronavirus Food Assistance Program (CFAP), a federal stimulus package that gives money to distributors to buy food from farms.

“(The government is doing this to) help stimulate the agricultural economy,” Tepperman said. “A lot of these people (who are receiving food) are vulnerable populations. … We’re trying to get food to them to limit the amount of exposure they have out in the community.”

Jay Truxal, 66, of Greensburg has been helping to sort and load boxes at RIDC Westmoreland as a Red Cross volunteer for the past few Wednesdays. He sorted through boxes looking for any spoiled food — a rarity, according to Tepperman.

Any unacceptable food was sorted into separate boxes to be sent to local hog farms.

Truxal spent years volunteering, first at the Westmoreland Food Bank and then at 412 Food Rescue.

“I’ve never been hungry, and there are people who are,” Truxal said about why he volunteers. “This is the least I can do to help.”

Michelle Sergent, 29, of Shadyside works for the University of Pittsburgh and has always wanted to volunteer.

She worked with Pittsburgh Community Food Bank for the past few weeks until she discovered 412 Food Rescue.

Pitt allows Sergent to volunteer for her work hours, so she is able to do both.

“With everything going on I, figured this was a great way to get involved and to get out and do something good for other people,” Sergent said. “I think it’s extremely rewarding, and so I’ve been trying to jump in wherever I can.”

The event will be held every Wednesday until July 1. Those interested in volunteering can sign up on the 412 Food Rescue Facebook page, facebook.com/412foodrescue.

Megan Swift and Megan Tomasic are Tribune-Review staff writers. You can contact Swift at 724-850-2810, mswift@triblive.com or via Twitter @mgswift7 and Tomasic at 724-850-1203, mtomasic@triblive.com or via Twitter @MeganTomasic.