PTITSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Steelers and Giant Eagle announced a partnership to provide free lunches for students attending 10 City of Pittsburgh recreation centers.
The meal program will operate on select days when Pittsburgh Public Schools are closed or dismiss early.
CitiParks Recreation Centers are extending operating hours and offering additional programming to provide a safe, supportive environment for students during school closures. While the centers offer child care services, standard school meal programs are unavailable on those days. The partnership aims to address the nutritional gap for children attending the participating facilities.
Blayre Holmes Davis serves as the Pittsburgh Steelers senior director of community relations. Davis emphasized that school meals serve as a vital source of daily nutrition for local children.
“We know the challenges faced by many families in our community and for some students, school meals are an important source of daily nutrition,” Davis said. “We don’t want a school closure to mean a child goes without a meal. Through our longstanding partnership with Giant Eagle, we’re proud to help bridge that gap by ensuring students have access to lunch on the days when Pittsburgh Public Schools are closed, or close early.”
Pittsburgh Mayor Corey O’Connor highlighted the role municipal recreation centers play in supporting local families during non-school days.
“Our Recreation Centers play are an important community resource for families, providing free child care when kids are off from school,” O’Connor said. “We are grateful to the Pittsburgh Steelers and Giant Eagle for their partnership and recognizing the importance of ensuring students have access to meals on these days.”
Dan Donovan is the senior director of public relations and sports partnerships at Giant Eagle. Donovan noted that the grocery retailer and the football franchise regularly coordinate on regional initiatives.
“As two organizations deeply rooted in the Pittsburgh region, Giant Eagle and the Steelers share a commitment to helping our community thrive,” Donovan said. “We regularly work together to identify needs and bring our collective resources to bear to make a difference for our neighbors. We are proud to be part of this partnership that will ensure Pittsburgh Public School students have access to meals when they need them most.”
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