United Way, Eat'n Park partner with Jeannette schools to provide meals during pandemic

Thousands of meals distributed in the Jeannette City School District are providing families with extra food during the coronavirus pandemic.

Superintendent Matt Jones said the food, provided through the United Way of Southwestern Pennsylvania and Eat’n Park Hospitality Group, are appreciated by the community.

“They’re providing those meals, especially on the weekends, that we could not provide,” Jones said. “That’s priceless for us right now.”

The United Way’s Students and Families Food Relief Fund provided 2,300 meals to families and others in the school district. Another 1,000 will be distributed to the community Friday during the district’s regular food pickup for children.

The program is a way to help bridge the gap for families who are struggling during the coronavirus pandemic, said Alyssa Cholodofsky, Westmoreland region director for the United Way.

“The program is open to school districts and Jeannette applied for it,” she said.

The relief fund launched on March 30 with a $1 million donation from the PNC Foundation. Since then, the organization has partnered with Eat’n Park and other local agencies to connect more than 250,000 meals to students and their families across the region.

So far, more than 94,000 meals have been distributed through the relief fund. That amount is expected to surpass 108,000 by Friday.

The food distribution is focused on low-income areas in Allegheny, Butler, Fayette and Westmoreland counties. Pittsburgh Public Schools is another area covered by the distribution, Cholodofsky said.

Jeannette City School District is providing regular grab-and-go meals for 300-400 children since Gov. Tom Wolf ordered schools across the state shut down on March 13. That closure has been extended through the end of the academic year.

“This is over and above that,” Cholodofsky said.

The Eat’n Park meals are being given out to anyone in the school district who is in need, Jones said.

“The goal is to not return with any meals that day,” he said.

McKee Elementary School will be the site of Friday’s distribution from noon to 1 p.m.