As food insecurity continues to climb across Southwestern Pennsylvania, a dedicated group of retired Westinghouse employees mobilized, raising a record $55,000 this year to support local organizations battling hunger.

The nonprofit group, SURE (Senior Utility Retiree Employees), shattered its previous donation record and further assisted the community by hosting its first-ever food drive, collecting an additional 400 pounds of nonperishables.

“We’re extremely proud of the ongoing success of our ‘Feed the Hungry’ program and extremely happy to make a record level of donations when food insecurity remains such a concern in our communities,” said SURE President Ron Weisser.

This effort comes as nearly all of the 33 organizations the group supports — including food pantries and Meals on Wheels programs — have seen their needs grow significantly, prompting SURE to add a half-dozen organizations to its recipient list in just the last two years.

“It seems that each year, the need continues to grow, which makes the organizations who receive the donations that much more appreciative of our support to help them meet this important and growing need,” Weisser said.

The bulk of the $55,000 was raised through SURE’s annual golf outing and was distributed in November. The funds were used to support 17 food pantries, 12 Meals on Wheels programs and four food banks.

While the primary focus is on Southwestern Pennsylvania, the funding also supports two SURE chapters located in South Carolina and Florida. Demonstrating their commitment to local needs, the group also provided aid this year to victims of the devastating September apartment fire in Pittsburgh’s Squirrel Hill neighborhood.

Over the years, the “Feed the Hungry” program has donated more than $350,000 to combat hunger.

SURE’s extensive community work is rooted in its founding in 1989 as part of President George H.W. Bush’s “1,000 Points of Light” program. The mission is to mobilize the expertise and time of its over 1,100 Westinghouse retirees in the community.

Their service extends far beyond hunger relief: members serve as docents at cultural institutions such as the Heinz History Center, Phipps Conservatory and the Pittsburgh Zoo & Aquarium; they support the American Cancer Society by driving patients; they help with local and county food banks; they assist at local hospitals; and they provide income tax assistance for low-income families and the elderly.

Since they began tracking volunteer time in 1996, SURE volunteers have logged more than 1 million hours of volunteer service in the Greater Pittsburgh area.

For more information on SURE’s programs and activities, visit WestinghouseSURE.org.

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