Be sure to check out our latest newsletter! It is full of great recipes and food advice---and it's free!
Check it out here ...

Students Complete
Largest Single Food Drive
News, February, 2014.

The largest single food drive in the history of Kiski Valley Food Bank was conducted by the 5th and 6th grade students of Kiski Area Upper Elementary in Washington Township. The students collected over one ton (2,000 pounds plus) of food. The food was delivered in time for helping with the December distribution of food and for emergency food calls.

The students not only donated a quality selection of food, but added gifts for all the Kiski Valley Food Bank volunteers. Every volunteer received mittens with a package of hot chocolate and popcorn. These were handed out at a gathering of most volunteers with others receiving theirs later.

A high definition video was made to show the students how the Kiski Valley Food Bank works. In the short video recipients gave interviews thanking the students and many wrote a number of letters to the students. That video is temporarily unavailable online but should be available here soon. Thank you for your patience.

The 5th and 6th grade students' efforts in this food drive demonstrated a passion and excellence that produced excellent results. In addition to that, their thoughtfulness and kindness in making gifts for the volunteers was extraordinary. The Kiski Valley Food Bank Board of Directors and volunteers shout out a big THANK YOU to the students and Upper Elementary staff. A special thanks go to Joshua Weaver, Principal; Student Council Advisors Mrs. Hummel, Mr. Quinton and Miss Karlo; and Spirit Club Advisors Mrs. Stankowski, Ms. Hepler, and Mrs. Daymont .

A Big ‘Thank You’
News, February, 2014.

Kiski Valley Food Bank (KVFB) has big ‘Thank You’ for the Greater Allegheny Kiski Board of Realtors® (GAKA). At their annual installation celebration on December 10, 2013, a significant financial contribution was made to the food bank. Newly installed President Brandy L. Fabry, ABR, CRS, GRI, Broker/Owner of RE/MAX Dynamic Realtors, Freeport, presented the check to Stephen J Myers Jr, Secretary-Treasurer of KVFB. Every year the Greater Allegheny Kiski Board of Realtors® selects an area charity to receive the annual donation.

Another big ‘Thank You’ goes to Pearl Vision at Waterworks Plaza and Jessie Buterbaugh, Manager. They conducted a December food drive for Kiski Valley Food Bank that yielded 13 boxes of food. Ms. Buterbaugh is a North Apollo resident.

Pearl Bracelet Gift Benefits Food Bank
- You will not believe this low price! -
News, December, 2013.

Here is a gift that gives two ways – a beautiful and stunning pearl bracelet gift for only $6.95! Yes, you read the right cost - $6.95. You will not find a bargain like this anywhere but at Sobran Jewelers at 181 Hyde Park Road in Allegheny Township (across from Kiski Areas Middle and High Schools. And this great pearl bracelet bargain gets better because you will not only receive a tremendous gift, you will be helping the Kiski Valley Food Bank because Sobran Jewelers is donating the entire $6.95 cost to the food bank.

This is a great way to celebrate Christmas this year by buying a wonderful gift and having the full value donated to Kiski Valley Food Bank. In the season of good will and good news it is acts of kindness that really count.  Sobran Jewelers is not only offering a high quality and inexpensive gift for yourself or for a loved one, but generously donating the total proceeds to help put food on their table.

Kiski Valley Food Bank is neighbors helping neighbors. We are local, independent, all-volunteer and non-profit where 100% of donations go to work in this ministry of helping others. It is 100% supported by residents, businesses, organizations, churches and local markets in the Kiski Valley area of 51,318 population and 21,698 homes.

Be sure to visit Sobran Jewelers on the web at www.sobranjewelers.com. Hours are 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Saturday and noon to 4 p.m. on Sundays during the Christmas season.

IIDA Donates Food
- Nearly 2,000 cans of food -
News, December, 2013.

IIDA of Pittsburgh just donated 1,777 cans of food and a cash donation to Kiski Valley Food Bank this past December. Kudos to the this faithful group for helping this food bank. A big “Thank You” to Jane Halliman, Chelsey Atkins, Amanda Belhumeur, Gregory Newman and Mark Zavislak. Your efforts have helped us to feed more people in the coming months.

IIDA donates their collection of can goods through a yearly contest called Canstruction®. It is a unique charity which hosts competitions showcasing colossal structures made entirely out of full cans of food. After the structures are built, the creations go on display to the public as a giant art exhibition. At the end of the event, all food is donated to local hunger relief organizations. Canstruction-Pittsburgh is between architects, designers and engineers and held their contest in December at Ross Park Mall.
              
The International Interior Design Association-Pittsburgh team has donated over 5,500 cans of food to Kiski Valley Food Bank in addition to cash donations these past several years.  May God bless each one of you in this season of good will.

Memorial Fund Benefits Kiski Valley Food Bank
News, November, 2013.

Rudolph A. "Rudy" Minarcin's life was celebrated December 19th, 2013 at Our Lady Queen of Peace Catholic Church in East Vandergrift. A husband, father, grandfather, soldier, major league baseball player, friend of all and businessman, Mr. Minarcin leaves a long legacy of achievements and outstanding life. A true native and citizen of our area, he presents an exceptional model of a life lived well.

In celebrating Mr. Minarcin's life, his family established a Memorial Fund, in place of flowers, for the Kiski Valley Food Bank. Their generosity and kindness further extends the greatness of "Rudy's" life.

He was born in 1930 in North Vandergrift where he lived most of his life. He became an outstanding athlete in school and the Vandergrift Lancers. He led the Lancers to five straight playoff wins, including the WPIAL Championship Final. He received more than 30 football scholarship offers during his Vandergrift High School years.

Interestingly, he chose a baseball career over football after high school and signed a contract with Philadelphia Phillies as a bonus player in 1948 and was assigned to play for the Vandergrift Pioneers Farm Club, a Class C Middle Atlantic league team. He later moved on to major leagues for the Cincinnati Reds and the Boston Red Sox.

He served his country in the U.S. Army during the Korean War and was honorably discharged in 1954. He continued his baseball career after the war, excelling as he had in previous years.

Even after his full time career, he continued to be an avid sport fan and enthusiast and enjoyed playing softball and coaching Little League teams.

Mr. Minarcin took over the family business as owner of Martin's Market in North Vandergrift, retiring from in 1995.

His life speaks volumes about faithfulness, loyalty, family, giving to others and community - a model for others to follow.

If you would like to donate to his memory, write a check to Kiski Valley Food Bank, P.O. Box 178, Vandergrift, PA 15690-1204 and put "In Memory of Rudolph A. Minarcin" on the memo line. Your gift is tax deductible and you will receive a receipt in addition to the family being notified of your gift.

Neighbor Helping Neighbor
News, December, 2013.
"Neighbor Helping Neighbor" is our theme this year. Kiski Valley Food Bank is an independent and true 100% all-volunteer community organization. We are entirely supported by the citizens of our service area, businesses, grocery stores, organizations and churches of Kiski Valley. We receive no outside or government funding.

Kiski Valley Food Bank is committed to those who are in need or at risk of hunger by not having enough nutritional food for three complete meals a day. As an independent food bank, we are able to serve individuals and families that are in need of food from unemployment, underemployment, medical and economic crises and may not be able to meet federal and state income requirements

Although we may find it difficult to believe, a local mother went without two meals a day to feed her family! We have many testimonies that sufficient food is a very real need in Kiski Valley, particularly among children. Local statistics tell us nearly one in five children live in households that struggle to put food on the table. Child hunger in Kiski Valley is invisible, but they are hurting because of it.

Better than 80% of the groceries we distribute are collected in monthly neighborhood food drives throughout Kiski Valley. Each neighborhood is solicited twice a year for grocery donations. The first week of each month our 100% volunteer organization fields a large team to canvass neighborhoods with flyers soliciting bags of groceries to be picked up the next week. The second Saturday of the month is grocery collection day when more volunteers and vehicles drive through the neighborhoods looking for bags of groceries on the front porch. The third Saturday of each month is distribution day.

Although our shelves nearly go empty every month, we have always had provision through community donations. That's why we call this neighbor helping neighbor.

Kiski Valley Food Bank serves the boroughs of Apollo, Avonmore, East Vandergrift, Hyde Park, Leechburg, North Apollo, Oklahoma, West Leechburg and Vandergrift; the townships of Allegheny, Bell, Gilpin, Kiski, Parks, Upper Burrell (in part), and Washington. This includes all the unique villages within these townships. We reach a total population of 46,915 and 20,292 household.

___________________________

The Kiski Valley Food Bank Newsletter!
News, December, 2013.
KVFB often sends out a newsletter to families we help. It is filled to overflowing with news you can use, like:

• recipes  

• how to find & use coupons that save you big money

• timesavers in the kitchen

• ways to make meals for less

• nutritional advice

• what's the best food to buy in what season

• and more!

This newsletter can help you during these difficult days.

This month's newsletter

___________________________

CHRISTMAS FUND DRIVE
News, December, 2013
The Kiski Valley Food Bank Christmas Fund & Food Drive is underway! Businesses in our region are hosting the 2013 Christmas Donation Cans. Special thanks go to the following local businesses, whose kindness help families all across the valley. You are great men and women!

• Naser Foods, Apollo

• BZ Mart, Apollo

• Honeybear Mini-Mart, North Apollo

• G & G Restaurant, Vandergrift

• Vandergrift Pharmacy, Vandergrift

• Solomon's Mini-Mart, Vandergrift

• Dairy Queen, Allegheny Township

• King's Family Restaurant, Allegheny Township

• Creekside Diner, Apollo

• Carpenter's Cafe, Vandergrift

• Dizzy's Bar and Grill, Leechburg

• Sunoco Snack Shop, Leechburg

• Hunt's Hilltop Convenience Mart, Leechburg

• Leechburg Pharmacy, Leechburg

Thanks to you, many families in our area are being helped by our Fund Drives. Your generosity has been a great blessing to many here in our area. Now, even in this tough economy, please continue to remember those who are struggling with high gas prices, high food prices and low income or no job.

___________________________

You Don't Have To Wait For A Holiday...

We always need your help. Anytime, you can:

• You can give online by clicking the "Donate" button in the left column, or

• by calling us at 1 - 724 - 610 - 2037, or

• mail a contribution to us at Kiski Valley Food Bank, P.O. Box 178, Vandergrift, PA 15690, or

• take action in other ways
  

All donations are tax-deductible. Thank-you for your consideration. You are helping families right here in our area weather this recession.

________________________

It All Adds Up
News, December 2013
Out of the blue someone in Markle calls us. They have food for us to pick up even though we haven't done a food drive there in months. Another day, King's Family Restaurant calls with food for families. It continues...a grocery store in Apollo giving food...People's Gas doing a food drive...someone in Leechburg has groceries...a lady in Vandergrift with bags of food to give...a man in West Leechburg who bought groceries for us--they each give boxes or bags to Kiski Valley Food Bank throughout the year.

These donations, given at times other than our monthly food drive, add up! They augment our monthly neighborhood food drives and help us to feed local families. It is a great thing these Kiski Valley neighbors do for each other. It is a great honor for us to have a small part in it.

Even if you only have a bag or two of food to give, please call us at 1 - 724 - 610 - 2037. Every little bit helps. Thank you for your kindness.

___________________________

Our volunteers collect food through rain, sleet or snow!


Braving the elements to collect food during a neighborhood food drive. 

Volunteers carry in food to be sorted into food packages for distribution.

Checking to see if all the food is unloaded.

A volunteer pushes a shopping cart full of groceries for delivery.

Volunteer packs some dry milk for distribution.


Checking the food for the families in the valley.


Volunteers sort food.


Volunteer is still smiling after packaging 200lbs of potatoes, 4 bushels of apples and checking the families' packages.

Volunteer carries a turkey for a family.

Thanks for making the Kiski Valley Food Bank Food Drive a great success! Thanks to all the businesses and neighborhoods who donated food and monies! And thanks to the volunteers who make the distribution happen each month. If you are interested in donating towards our January 2015 Food Drive, or are interested in volunteering, please phone: 1 - 724 - 610 - 2037

Kiski Valley Food Bank celebrates 7 years of service:



The Kiski Valley Food Bank, founded in 2008, celebrates seven years of service to needy families and individuals throughout the region. In seven short years the food bank distribution has grown by more than 10 times with numbers growing each month.