Steelers great Troy Polamalu donates gift cards to furloughed Westmoreland workers

More than 400 furloughed Westmoreland County government workers will have a meal courtesy of Steelers’ Hall of Famer Troy Polamalu and his wife.

County officials said Monday the former Steelers great donated gift cards to local restaurants to help employees who were temporarily removed from the payroll as government services were reduced amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

Commissioner Gina Cerilli said she was contacted about two weeks ago by a representative for the Polamalus who wanted to help the furloughed workers by sending them gift cards to small, local restaurants in the county.

“The Polamalus found out about Westmoreland County having to make the difficult decision to furlough their employees through the media. The Steelers spend about a month a year in Westmoreland County during training camp in Latrobe. Of course, they feel a connection with Latrobe and Westmoreland County and want to help out our employees and local businesses during this tough time,” Cerilli said.

Polamalu spent 12 years with the Steelers before retiring after the 2014 season. The Steelers conduct the team’s annual training camp each summer at Saint Vincent College, near Latrobe. In February, Polamalu was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Polamalu could not be reached for comment Monday.

County officials said $25 gift cards will be mailed to the furloughed workers this week.

Commissioners originally furloughed 475 employees in early April as the county scaled back services in response to the coronavirus outbreak. About 30 workers have since been called back to their jobs. Human Resources Director Amanda Bernard said additional staff have been needed at Westmoreland Manor, the county-owned nursing home, and in the court system because of a larger-than-expected number of emergency cases scheduled over the last few weeks.

Cerilli said donated gift cards were bought by Polamalu’s representatives from restaurants throughout the county and will be matched with employees based on where they reside.

“It’s a win-win to help small local restaurants survive as well as provide a meal to our employees’ family,” Cerilli said.

Commissioner Sean Kertes said the donation is appreciated.

“It’s phenomenal to see how people are stepping up to help,” Kertes said.