Commissioners expected to restore funding to Washington Co. Food Bank
The Washington County commissioners are considering returning their share of food assistance funds to the Greater Washington County Food Bank more than five years after designating the food bank in Pittsburgh as the county’s primary provider.
The commissioners are expected to vote during their 10 a.m. Thursday meeting on the change to the county’s provider and allocate more than $300,000 in state and federal money to the Washington County Food Bank to assist local pantries and residents.
Commissioner Nick Sherman and then-board chairwoman Diana Irey Vaughan voted in December 2020 to change the designation to the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank, while Commissioner Larry Maggi opposed the move. At the time, Sherman and Irey Vaughan raised concerns about the Washington County Food Bank’s performance and thought using the Pittsburgh organization would improve distribution.
But with new leadership and increased funding streams to the Washington County agency, the commissioners appear poised to allocate the funds to the local non-profit once again for the fiscal year that begins July 1 and designate it as the primary provider.
Commissioner Electra Janis, who was not on the board when it made the previous decision, said she plans to abstain from Thursday’s vote because she is a member of the Greater Washington County Food Bank’s board. However, she thinks it will be beneficial to the county’s residents to return the funds to the local food bank.
“I do support this, obviously, and wholeheartedly believe the Greater Washington County Food Bank can handle these responsibilities,” Janis said.
Janis added that she understands some of the food pantries in the county have raised concerns about the change, but she predicted it would be a “smooth and seamless” transition.
Greater Washington County Food Bank President and CEO George Omiros, who took over the non-profit not long after it lost its county designation in December 2020, said they never stopped working to provide food assistance to the community. He said since that time, they have increased distribution to local residents and seniors, initially with the help of a $250,000 “challenge grant” from the Washington County Community Foundation and by raising about $600,000 in matching funds in the three months after.
“We didn’t give up,” Omiros said. “We’ve been working for a long period of time to continue to support the food initiatives in Washington County. We’ve been working all along to serve the residents of Washington County and expand our programs.”
He said the additional funds of more than $300,000 allocated from the county’s share of state and federal funds will help the food bank to do even more.
“This is an opportunity to provide more services to people in Washington County,” Omiros said. “So we’re excited about it.”
Omiros added that they will work closely with the pantries scattered across the county to ensure they are well stocked with food.
“We’re doing assessments for unmet needs and food deserts (and) looking to explore and move more food services to people in Washington County,” Omiros said.
Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank has been Washington County’s designated provider for the past five years, and will continue to work closely with pantries that want additional resources, according to Charlese McKinney, who is the organization’s chief program officer. She said “they certainly respect their decision” to make a change, but that won’t change Greater Pittsburgh’s mission to serve the 11-county region in Western Pennsylvania.
“That doesn’t change the work we do in Washington County. We have a wonderful network of food pantry partners and will continue to work no matter where the contract sits,” McKinney said. “We were there before the contract and we will continue to remain there.”
She added there will still be some “crossover” between Washington County’s food bank and the Greater Pittsburgh organization when it comes to working with the food pantries. McKinney added that there is “no exclusivity” that would be stopping any of the pantries from receiving help from multiple organizations.
“The pantries that partner with us are free to have additional partners, if they wish,” she said. “We encourage them to collaborate with other entities and source from others.”
The commissioners are scheduled to vote on the decision during their monthly meeting at 10 a.m. Thursday in the public meeting room on the ground floor of the Crossroads Center building in Washington.