What's with all the orange around Downtown Pittsburgh?
Some of Pittsburgh’s Downtown businesses have been lit up in orange and more joined in on Tuesday evening for Hunger Action Day. The buildings will continue to illuminate orange throughout September, according to the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank.
In addition to Acrisure Stadium, other buildings in the city include the Wyndham Grand Pittsburgh, Gulf Tower, Heinz Hall waterfall, Koppers Building, Allegheny County Courthouse, Pittsburgh City-County Building, Mellon Square, BNY Mellon Innovation Center, U.S. Steel Tower and Fifth Avenue Place.
In Oakland, Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens and Schenley Park Café and Visitor Center will also be lit. UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh in Lawrenceville will also be illuminated in orange.
“Painting the city orange serves as a way to stand in solidarity with our neighbors living with hunger, and those working to ensure all community members have the food they need to thrive,” according to a statement by the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank.
The orange lighting is an initiative of Feeding America, the leading domestic hunger-relief charity in the U.S., where the food bank is a member, according to Jennifer Zgurich, director of corporate and community giving for the food bank.
“Their color is orange and it is something that is slowly infiltrating through the network,” Zgurich said.
One in five children in the area the food bank serves are food insecure, Zgurich said, and with cuts to funding for Medicaid and Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, the need will continue to grow.
A report by the food bank showed the organization distributed 53 million meals this past year — 5 million more than the previous highest number on record.
This isn’t the first time a specific hue has dominated the Pittsburgh skyline. Last November, some buildings in the city were lit in teal for Alzheimer’s Foundation of America’s Light the World in Teal Program.
“Pittsburgh has a dramatic skyline and our hope is that people will notice the orange color and help,” Zgurich said. “You have the power to make a difference and help your neighbors facing food insecurity.”
For more information, go to the Food Bank’s website: pittsburghfoodbank.org.
JoAnne Klimovich Harrop is a TribLive reporter covering the region's diverse culinary scene and unique homes. She writes features about interesting people. The Edward R. Murrow award-winning journalist began her career as a sports reporter. She has been with the Trib for 26 years and is the author of "A Daughter's Promise." She can be reached at jharrop@triblive.com.
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