Month-long food drive begins at Arnold Palmer Regional Airport

Jeff Himler, Tribune-Review, Greensburg, Pa.
·2 min read

Jun. 9—Visitors to Arnold Palmer Regional Airport will have an opportunity to donate non-perishable items to the Westmoreland County Food Bank during a food drive through July 10.

Three marked collection bins will be placed in the terminal at the airport in Unity beginning Thursday.

Most needed items include: peanut butter; cereal; canned or pouched tuna, chicken or salmon; soups or stews; and macaroni and cheese or other boxed meals. Donated foods cannot be distributed to those in need unless they have the original manufacturer's label and are free of obvious defects or contamination, such as popped tops, mold or rust on cans or bottles.

"If every passenger moving through the airport during this time donated a non-perishable food item, the impact would be long-lasting and a powerful step in addressing hunger in Westmoreland County," according to Jennifer Miller, county food bank CEO.

Airport visitors who can't bring food with them can use their smart phones to scan a QR code that will be posted at the bins and will direct them to the food bank website for details on making monetary donations.

Though restrictions related to the covid-19 pandemic have eased, there still are residents struggling financially and who don't have enough to eat, Miller said.

"People got laid off during the pandemic, and their jobs may not be there to return to," she said. "There are a lot of jobs out there now, but are they living-wage jobs?"

Donations like those being sought at the airport help the food bank distribute staples each month to about 6,500 families, including more than 18,000 people, through a network of local pantries and emergency feeding sites, Miller said.

"We feel great pride in supporting this worthwhile endeavor," Westmoreland County Airport Authority Executive Director Gabe Monzo said of the food drive. "The airport is a strong supporter of the community."

The authority planned to donate to the food bank any surplus income from the Memorial Day weekend airshow at the Arnold Palmer airport. But, Monzo has estimated that only about 70% of airshow tickets were sold after some were returned.

When poor weather grounded several aerial acts on May 29, the first day of the airshow, those who purchased tickets for that day were permitted to return on May 30 or for a future show.

Jeff Himler is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Jeff at 724-836-6622, jhimler@triblive.com or via Twitter .