PITTSBURGH — For the past two decades, the University of Pittsburgh has been offering a holiday meal and gifts to people in need.
“Christmas Day at Pitt is a family affair and so we’re able to benefit from seeing grandparents, parents and young people…coming out together to spend the day,” Engagement of Community Affairs Associate Vice Chancellor Jamie Ducar.
The tradition was originally started by Dr. John Wilds.
It’s grown exponentially, evolving over the years but with the same mission.
“I hope it just makes a merry Christmas for someone who might not have had one and that’s the satisfaction that we get,” Wilds.
It’s all thanks to volunteers.
“We have about 100 folks who show up on Christmas Day, sometimes with their own families, to volunteer. It’s an incredible outpouring of support, appreciation for our broader communities, so we couldn’t do it without them because it takes a lot of people to get it done,” Wilds said.
The university says that between the to-go meals they prepared and the meals served in person feed up to 3,500 people.
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