PublicSource | News for a better Pittsburgh (https://www.publicsource.org/category/green/)
This is the paradox of Pittsburgh’s current environmental identity: The city is claiming the role of environmental leader but still touts its success relative to its dirty past.
Both parties advocate for public health, but they have differing opinions on how the money in the Clean Air Fund should be spent.
The Community Kitchen caters, cooks for people experiencing homelessness and has contracts to provide food to five Pittsburgh-area schools. The tension between training its cooks and providing high-quality meals can create challenges, especially as the organization grows. But the Community Kitchen’s success doesn’t only depend on its ability to deliver lunches on time. The food is healthier than typical school lunches, and it has to find schools that can get kids to eat it.
Nearly one in seven Allegheny County residents are food insecure. It takes many organizations working in tandem to get them the help they need.
Compared to the rest of the United States, Pennsylvania’s school breakfast participation is low. A recent Food Research and Action Center report ranked the state 41st in the country for accessing free and reduced-price breakfast. But with grants and creativity, districts in the region can eventually reach their breakfast goals, says Chris West, Greater Pittsburgh Food Bank Child Nutrition Outreach Coordinator.
Several large Pittsburgh institutions, including hospitals and universities, have begun implementing strategies to cut food waste. But, in some cases, such efforts have had unexpected consequences: taking food from the needy.
