IN Greensburg Salem Winter 2018 | Page 8

WHAT’S NEWS IN GREENSBURG SALEM ONE-OF-A-KIND CAR DONATION PROGRAM Community Auto, a program of The Lighthouse Foundation, is a nonprofit program that accepts donated cars, repairs and inspects them when feasible, and sells them at discounted prices to low-income working families and individuals. The used car in your garage that you don’t have time to sell, or didn’t get the trade-in value you wanted, or a car the kids used but no longer need would be the perfect car to donate. Your generous donation is tax- deductible. Please contact Community Auto at communityautolico.org or call 724.538.5081 for details on how to donate your car. FOOD BANK CHANGES BUSINESS MODEL TO BETTER MEET THE NEEDS OF THE COMMUNITY The Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank estimates that in five years, nearly 50 percent of its inventory will be fresh produce, moving from more than eight million pounds distributed last year to 24 million pounds in 2022. Understanding that the cost of fresh produce is too expensive for many of the families and individuals served by the Food Bank, new agency shared maintenance fees are designed to eliminate the cost of produce. The decision to change the agency shared maintenance fees is smart for the organization and for the more than 110,000 individuals and families it serves monthly. More than 74 6 724.942.0940 TO ADVERTISE ❘ icmags.com THE LAUREL BALLET & THE WESTMORELAND SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA’S ‘THE NUTCRACKER’ The Laurel Ballet in Greensburg will be performing its 25th “Nutcracker” with the Westmoreland Symphony Orchestra on Saturday, Dec. 8, at 2 and 7 p.m., and Sunday, Dec. 9, at 2 p.m. at The Palace Theatre in Greensburg. This year is the symphony’s 50th anniversary, so the production will be especially wonderful. percent of the people served by the Food Bank want fresh foods as part of their diet but purchase inexpensive, unhealthy foods because they cannot afford healthier options. It is important to the Food Bank’s mission to promote healthy, fresh produce options and ensure that people have access to the right foods. “By changing our agency shared maintenance fee structure, we are able to take advantage of the largest source of food waste in our country – the six billion pounds of produce that never make it out of the fields,” said Justin Lee, Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank Chief Operating Officer. “The new fees are designed to eliminate the cost of produce. Although some, not all, of the fresh produce is donated, it costs time and money to source, transport, store and deliver it. We do our best to keep these costs to a minimum and absorb them ourselves. Occasionally we have to ask our agencies and partners to help with some of those costs.” The Food Bank network of more than 400 agencies that serve as emergency or regular food distribution centers, after- school program sites and on-site feeding programs will see their fees fluctuate between a five percent decrease and a 10 percent increase. About Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank, a member of Feeding America, is a nonprofit organization founded in 1980 that distributes more than 33 million meals annually throughout a network of nearly 400 member agencies across 11 counties in southwestern Pennsylvania. For more information on hunger in our region or how to get involved, visit pittsburghfoodbank.org. ■