Proud to be from Pittsburgh: Squirrel Hill Community Food Pantry

PITTSBURGH — A huge donation just arrived at the Squirrel Hill Community Food Pantry-- 300 slow cookers.

Crock pots are not usually found at a food bank, but then the Squirrel Hill Pantry is an uncommon place.

“I think this is a model for other pantries and especially in the way they respect their clientele,” said volunteer Naomi Weisberg Siegel.

Seigel donated $12,000 to buy the slow cookers for the food bank.

Of the 1,800 people served a year, half are seniors, and quite a few have strict diets that only this food pantry can accommodate.

“We are the only kosher food pantry in the southwestern Pennsylvania area,” said Matthew Bolton, the pantry’s executive director.

Bolton said they have seen a 30 percent increase in clients this year over last.

He told Channel 11's Peggy Finnegan that many of the clients are Russian Jews who came to Pittsburgh after the fall of the Soviet Union.

“It helps me and my wife a lot, because we are retired and we need some help,” said Alex Rasputnes.

Kosher items are much more expensive than other products and not part of the pantry’s inventory, but the community pulls together to buy the produce, kosher food and gifts such as the slow cookers.

“It's just very easy to make inexpensive and filling meals with a crock pot,” said Seigel.

Rasputnes and his wife are ready to test it out.

"We never cooked with a slow cooker, but we could try at least," he said

To learn more about the pantry or to make a donation, CLICK HERE.

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