Community food bank Summer Youth Cafes to open this week

The end of school means the start of summer, and for community centers like the West View Hub, it takes on an even greater purpose.

“When you have food insecurity, we found that children tend to have issues emotionally, socially, as well as academically,” said Scott Pavlot of the West View Hub.

Feeding children in need for free: that’s one of the missions of the West View Hub and other community centers like it, now known as Summer Youth Cafes, a partnership with the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank.

“At a time where it should be a lot of fun and having sun for the summer — it can really be a time of worry and a time of hunger whenever kids go to the fridge when they’re home for the summer and there’s nothing in there,” said Kelsey Gross, director of the child nutrition program for the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank.

With Summer Youth Cafes officially opening up this week, any child 18 and under can get food, at no cost, by visiting one of the sites, which are offered at a variety of locations, including local parks, churches, schools and libraries.

“This year, we’re really pushing to make sure that families know where to access sites, especially in our rural communities, because many sites can now go back to serving grab-and-go meals,” Gross said.

So how do families know where to find meals and what time they’ll be distributed? The Food Bank makes it easy to find a location on the “Find Food” section of its website. Enter your zip code and the days and meals you’ll need help with, and a map pops up on your screen.

The food bank said with more federal money available to help rural communities, it’s important to spread the word about these sites, especially with higher costs at the grocery store.

“With the economy the way it is, you have families that are just struggling,” Pavlot said.

Butler County will not have Summer Youth Café locations this year, but there will be special distributions for families this summer. They plan to release details on Friday.

Download the FREE WPXI News app for breaking news alerts.

Follow Channel 11 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch WPXI NOW

©2023 Cox Media Group