2025 Grant Recipients Received $127,754

For the 2025 grant year, Giving2Grow is honored to provide support to 11 caring organizations in the Southwestern Pennsylvania area – five new to us and six returning.  Each serves and nurtures children who face food insecurity.  Explore their websites (below) to learn more about the organizations in our region that feed hungry children.

412 Food Rescue – Serves 7 Counties of Southwestern PA      

412 Food Rescue, a vital organization addressing retail food waste and food insecurity, rescues surplus food and redistributes it to those in need.  It provides food to many child-focused programs, such as the Boys and Girls Club’s meals program, Head Start programs, new mothers’ programs to support baby development through proper nutrition, Carnegie Free Store, Brookline Teen Outreach, and Family House.

The 412 Food Rescue Fleet Team rescues large-scale food from grocery stores five days a week across seven counties. Volunteers handle smaller rescues.  All food is delivered to nonprofit partners serving thousands of families. It also keeps millions of pounds of food out of landfills and reduces harmful greenhouse gas emissions. In 2024, Food Rescue recovered and redistributed 4.7 million pounds of food.  The belief that “good food belongs to people, not landfills” summarizes their mission.   A significant number of G2G’s past and current grantees receive food from 412 Foor Rescue to distribute to their own clients.

Families Matter Food Pantry – Serves Beaver, Allegheny, Lawrence, Butler Counties  

Families Matter is the largest food pantry in Beaver County and supports many working families in PA, OH and WV who still struggle to afford groceries.  Operating three days a week, they supported 42,700 unique individuals, including 9,500 children last year. Their drive-through distribution model is highly efficient, with registration cards scanned at each visit. They also provide emergency food to organizations like Children & Youth Services and smaller local pantries.  Families Matter employs only 4 full-time staff members; 75 volunteers manage the collection and distribution of 250,000-300,000 pounds of food each month.  Much of this food comes from the network of 67 community grocery stores, restaurants, bakeries, and other local retail partners.  Additional supplies are purchased from the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank as needed.   Demand has increased so much that the GPCFB purchases have increased from $1,500 in all of 2024 to over $50,000 through September 2025.

Fayette County Cooking is FUN – Fayette County Community Action Agency (FCCAA)

FCCAA is a large agency that manages a variety of services for citizens in Fayette County, a rural community that faces extreme poverty and widespread food insecurity.  Within the county, 16% of residents and 27% of children are food insecure.  According to County Health Ranking Assessments 2022, out of 67 PA counties, Fayette ranked 66^th in health outcomes, 67^th in length of life, 67^th in health behaviors.

FCCAA developed the Family Cooking Class in 2025, teaching families with children aged 10 – 14 how to economically source food and prepare healthy meals, reinforce good nutrition and healthy eating habits, and strengthen family interaction around good nutrition.  The program was a success, with 65 children participating.  At the request of clients, the program has been redesigned for 2026, broadened to include children in grades K-12, and renamed “Cooking is FUN”.  Recipes, ingredients, and cooking utensils (which many families lack) are also provided to take home so they can make the meal again.   FCCAA expects to enroll 75 students in the program in 2026.

Food Helpers – Washington County              

Also doing business as the Greater Washington County Food Bank, Food Helpers is the largest food pantry in Washington County and has been helping  food-insecure families for over 44 years.

This grant funds the Little Moochi Healthy Habits Training Program, currently active in 13 school districts in Washington, Fayette and Greene counties, reaching over 8,300 students.   The program provides students with USDA-approved healthy and nutritious snack packages.

“Little Moochi” is a teaching tool with an award-winning app, developed at Carnegie Mellon University, that helps children build healthy eating habits through play.  Little Moochi, a virtual pet, is “fed” when children take photos of actual meals that they eat at school and at home. The app recognizes and evaluates over 6 million foods. Children earn points for their healthy food choices that can be redeemed for accessories for their virtual pet.  (Poor choices can result in Little Moochi not feeling well.)  The use of this app also promotes partnerships between the school and home. Teachers help students make healthy food choices at school. Parents are encouraged to discuss and support healthy food choices at home.

Free Store 15106 Carnegie Elementary School – Carnegie

Description:  In November 2021, two teachers at Carnegie Elementary School founded Free Store 15106 to alleviate hunger experienced by many of their school’s students.  All students in the Carlynton School District, a diverse, multicultural community, are eligible to receive a free breakfast and lunch provided by the school district during the school year. During the summer, the school district provides free lunches three times a week.

However, students get hungry over the weekend, so every Friday Free Store provides a backpack of non-perishable breakfast and lunch foods, and a quart of milk to any students of the district requiring assistance.  An average of 52 backpacks in the 2022-23 school year grew to 186 in 2024-25, providing food for as many as 592 people including family members.  Free Store also offers donated toiletries, clothing, sunscreen, and other essentials.

Free Store is entirely staffed and run by volunteers.  Food acquisitions are made based on cash and food donations from the community and local organizations. Monetary and in-kind donations from the community have increased substantially in the past years as neighbors see the difference this program is making to families in need. 

Garfield Community Farm – Pittsburgh   

The Garfield Community Farm operates a 2+ acre green space in the city of Pittsburgh. The farm is located near the top of the Garfield neighborhood, a predominately Black area with approximately 3700 residents. The Garfield area experiences acute food insecurity. The farm engages more than 250 youths annually, and up to 900 additional community members are reached through their outreach programs.

The farm works within the community by growing and distributing more than 2000 pounds of fresh organic produce.  They engage children through programs after school and in the summer to teach nutrition, cooking and agriculture. Some of the programs are run by the farm staff but others are partnered with community organizations and local churches.  GCF also manages a Community Allotment Garden, where Garfield residents can grow their own food, and provides tools, seedlings, education, and staff support.

Healing Hunger/Nourish to Flourish – Aliquippa, Beaver County      

Description:  Healing Hunger of Beaver Country is a 14-year non-profit organization that houses the community outreach program of House of Prayer Evangelical Lutheran Church in Aliquippa.  It focuses on providing food to the community, through community meals, a food pantry, and a food truck that brings meals to people who have difficulty accessing other sites. Their commitment to the children and the community is acknowledged and supported by partnerships and grants that have funded their Little Free Pantry and Little Free Food Truck, allowing them to meet hungry people where they are.

With a well-established relationship with the Aliquippa School District, Healing Hunger started a new program called Nourish to Flourish.  Serving ages 4-18, an anticipated 1,262 children will receive meals at school-related functions, including family nights and athletic events, throughout the school year. Hoping to serve 1,500 meals each month, Nourish to Flourish will continue to build relationships with these kids with the goal of each student having at least one meal outside of school per month.

Kidcelerate: Kids Meal Network – Pittsburgh   

Description:  Kidcelerate houses several long-established child-focused programs within the United Methodist Church Union, including the Kids Meal Network. Each summer, 5 days a week for 9 weeks, KMN provides free, nutritious snacks and meals, supervised activities, and a safe haven for children in underserved Pittsburgh neighborhoods.  In each of the past two summers, KMN has provided approximately 17,000 meals to about 700 unique children, at 19 – 20 different sites.

Kids Meal Network has over 100 community volunteers who have been trained in food service. Feeding site locations include churches, libraries, limited income housing sites, a park–all in vulnerable communities where unemployment and poverty are widespread, and crime and substance abuse are common.  Many children are left alone to fend for themselves during the day and do not get regular meals when school is not in session.  KMN turns no child away as staff members and volunteers are very sensitive to the diverse needs of the children they serve.

In 2023, and again in 2025, KMN received the “Childhood Hunger Hero” award from the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank.

North Hills Community Outreach – Northern Allegheny County      

Description: North Hills Community Outreach (NHCO), headquartered in Allison Park, is an interfaith organization addressing the needs of people experiencing hunger.  They offer seven food distributions per month at three different locations—Allison Park, Millvale, and Bellevue.  Participating families can visit twice a month, and find a generous variety of fresh produce, meat or fish, and non-perishable food.  NHCO also operates an organic garden in Bellevue that provided 2500 pounds of produce for their clients in the 2025 growing season.  NHCO will provide emergency food at any time to any family or individual in need, even to those not in their service area.  Families who first come to NHCO food pantries often find that other programs are available to help with other hardships they are dealing with, along with winter coats, stocked backpacks and toys over the holidays.

For fiscal year ending June 30, 2025, the food pantries served an average of 387 households per month– a total of 1,548 unique households and approximately 2,500 children.  In recent months, NCHO has seen an increase of nearly 50% in the number of families utilizing its food pantries.

The Pittsburgh Project Summer Camp Program – Pittsburgh Perry South    

The Pittsburgh Project (TPP) Summer Camp Program has 45% of their children living in poverty and 71% designated as economically disadvantaged by the Pittsburgh Public Schools. Over half of the households are “Female Householders Only”.  TPP is concerned with providing good nutrition to children, as well as teaching them lifelong habits about good nutrition. During the school year they provide snacks and periodic family meals for 250 children who come to the program after school.

The summer camp offers a strong focus on non-traditional learning that provides students with play-based educational experiences, and social and emotional education.  They provide 125 children with breakfast and lunch prepared with fresh food by their chef 5 days/week for 7 weeks (8750 meals).  All the students participate in a community garden, helping them make the connection with growing fresh food and eating what they grow. Middle school children have the option of nutrition classes. Their Leaders-in-Training program for teenagers in grades 10-12 operates during the summer and provides the opportunity to have job training. They report that 90% of the high school students who complete the job training go on to find a job.

Project Destiny – Pittsburgh Northside             

Project Destiny has a 20-year history of providing safe and nurturing spaces for inner city children, youth, and families while empowering them to become leaders in the Northside of Pittsburgh.  All programming and services are provided free of charge and take place at Destiny of Faith Church on Brighton Road. They recognize swiftly rising food insecurities as the Northside’s number one social determinant of health. Vulnerable children and families are identified through multiple programs within their organization, surrounding schools, and Allegheny General Hospital.

Funding from G2G will help to cover the costs of food provided in several crucial programs:

• Roughly 150 families (with children ages 2-18) pick up bi-weekly groceries.
• 40-60 children (grades K-8) enrolled in an M-F after-school program receive a snack and dinner.  Project Destiny staff pick up these children from 9-10 local schools.
• 60-80 children (K-8) enrolled in a 7-week M-F summer camp receive breakfast and lunch.
• Chef Outreach Association visits to after-school and summer camp programs, in which local chefs teach simple, healthy meal preparations and enjoy those meals with participants.