Organizations throughout Allegheny County will provide meal distributions and resources to serve those needing food assistance through November.

Food Distribution Events

CLP Carrick – Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank No Cost Farmers Market

1811 Brownsville Road, Pittsburgh, 15210 | Saturday, 11/12, 10 a.m. – 1 p.m.

Read a good book and pick some local produce to take home. Drive or walk up. Bring carts or bags if you have them. No ID or pre-registration required.

For more information, visit Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh website.

#BurghProud Thanksgiving Meal Distribution Event

Mazeroski Way cul-de-sac at PNC Park, 115 Federal St, Pittsburgh, PA 15212 | Tuesday, 11/22, 1:30 – 3:30 p.m.

This meal distribution event will provide a turkey, apple pie, necessary dry foods, a $15 Giant Eagle gift card, and special gifts from the Pittsburgh Penguins, Pittsburgh Pirates, and Pittsburgh Steelers. Capacity is limited to the first 300 registrants.

Families can register by visiting the #BurghProud website.

Bethany Evangelical Lutheran Church – Thanksgiving Meal for Take-Out or Home Delivery

3104 West Liberty Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15216 | Thursday, 11/24, 1 – 4 p.m. or while supplies last.

Take-out meals are available to all. Delivery available within a five-mile radius. Call for details. Call 412.531.9363 for home delivery by 11/17.

For more information, contact 412.531.9363 or bethany-dormont@verizon.net.

Jubilee Soup Kitchen – Thanksgiving Lunch

2005 Wyandotte Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15219 | Thursday, 11/24, Dine In: 11 a.m. – Noon / Takeout: 11:30 a.m. – Noon

Provides a traditional Thanksgiving meal at lunchtime for dine in or takeout.

For more information, contact 412.261.5417 or info@jubileesoupkitchen.com.

November Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank Distribution Schedules

Allegheny County Drive-Up Distribution Schedule

• Allegheny Valley
  JC Penney at the Galleria, 590 Pittsburgh Mills Blvd., Tarentum, PA 15084 | Tuesday, 11/08, 4:30 – 6 p.m.

• McKeesport
  Founders Hall Middle School, 1960 Eden Park Blvd., McKeesport, PA 15132 | Saturday, 11/19, 10 – 11:30 a.m.

• West End
  Ascension Church, 114 Berry St., Pittsburgh, PA 15205 | Tuesday, 11/15, 4 – 5:30 p.m.

Allegheny County Walk-In Distribution Schedule

• Homewood
  Faison K-5, 7430 Tioga St., Pittsburgh, PA 15208 | Saturday, 11/12, 10 a.m. – Noon

• Northside
  Pittsburgh King PreK – 8, 50 Montgomery Place, Pittsburgh, PA 15212 | Saturday, 11/12, 10 a.m. – Noon

• South Side
  Southside Market House, 12th and Bingham Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15203 | Wednesday, 11/16, 5:30 – 7:30 p.m.

Find more information and the full distribution calendar, visit the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank website.

The PA Department of Health (PA DOH) has announced that Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) activity is increasing in Pennsylvania and nationwide, and levels are higher than usual for this time of year.

About RSV

RSV is a major cause of severe lower respiratory infections. Anyone can be infected, but RSV most often causes serious illness in infants, young children and older adults.

Patients with RSV infection typically present with fever, cough, wheezing and runny nose. The symptoms might be atypical especially in very young children and infants younger than six months where symptoms of irritability, lethargy, and poor feeding may be present.

Information for Child Care Providers from OCDEL

The Office of Child Development and Early Learning (OCDEL) sent an announcement for child care providers about RSV. Factors that put children at risk for severe RSV infections include:

• Three months of age or younger (due to difficulty clearing mucus from smaller airways)

• Being around children in a child care setting

• Exposure to secondhand smoke

• Children with a history of weakened immune symptoms, preterm birth, or heart or lung problems

Children or adults with RSV might not look sick, but could be unknowingly infecting others with the virus, as it is spread by respiratory droplets falling on surfaces and when talking, coughing, or sneezing. RSV may be spread before obvious signs or symptoms appear, much like COVID-19.

Recommendations from the DOH

The spread of RSV and other seasonal respiratory illnesses like influenza has started earlier than usual this year. Mitigation strategies for COVID-19, like strict hand washing and sanitation practices, along with masking, can limit the spread of viral illnesses, such as RSV and flu, in child care settings.

PA DOH recommends:

• Individuals with respiratory symptoms should stay home while ill, especially those who work in child care, even if they have tested negative for COVID-19 to prevent exposing vulnerable and high-risk groups to RSV.

• Parents and caregivers should keep young children with respiratory illnesses out of child care, even if they have tested negative for COVID-19.

• While there are no vaccines yet to prevent RSV infections, individuals should be vaccinated against seasonal influenza and COVID-19 to help protect persons six months and older, especially individuals with high risk for complications of respiratory infections.

Resources

• PA Department of Health, Health Alert Network Updates

• American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and www.HealthyChildren.org

• RSV: When It’s More Than Just a Cold (Updated October 24, 2022)

• RSV in Infants and Young Children (CDC.gov)

• What You Should Know about Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) (Child Care Providers)

The application period for the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP), which helps low-income households pay some energy costs associated with heating their home, opened November 1, 2022.

LIHEAP is administered by the Pennsylvania Department of Public Welfare. LIHEAP provides a cash grant during the heating season to help families pay their electric bill.

Households in immediate danger of being without heat can also qualify for crisis grants. The cash grant is a one-time payment sent directly to the utility company/fuel provider to be credited on a family’s bill. These grants range from $200 to $1,000 based on household size, income, and fuel type.

Eligibility

Applicants must meet income guidelines for 2022-2023.

• One-person household: $20,385

• Two-person household: $27,465

• Three-person household: $34,545

• Four-person household: $41,625

• Five-person household: $48,705

• Six-person household: $55,785

• Seven-person household: $62,865

• Eight-person household: $69,945

• Nine-person household: $77,025

• Ten-person household: $84,105

• For every additional person: Add $7,080

Applicants must have proof of income for each adult in the household, a copy of their most recent utility bill, and the social security number of each adult in the household (and child, if possible).

Apply

Applications can be submitted:

• online using the COMPASS website.

• by downloading the LIHEAP application form at the Department of Public Welfare’s website.

• Filing a LIHEAP application at your local county assistance office.

The LIHEAP application period for both cash and crisis grants will remain open until April 28, 2023. For additional information, please visit the PA Department of Human Services website.

Effective October 31, 2022, Department of Human Services (DHS) applicants who register under Identogo for fingerprints will now have the opportunity to receive their results electronically via email. This opportunity only applies to results with no record.

About

During the registration process applicants should provide an email address and will be asked to create a security question and a security answer that must be retained. Three unsuccessful logins will prevent the applicant from retrieving their results electronically, as their security information cannot be reset.

Shortly after their fingerprints have been taken and a result can be provided, they will receive an email. They will be advised to click on the link within the email and enter the security question and answer. When the applicant does access the results, it is important that they be able to download it, save it, and print it for future needs. There will be no second access to this electronic result.

Additionally, if they lock themselves out of the security question and answer, the result will be transmitted by U.S. Mail.

Applicants who registered for fingerprints on August 30, 2022, or after and used the purpose type of employee 14 years of age or older and having contact with children will receive their result via email notification. An email notification will only be received after September 21, 2022, if they provided an email address and created a security question and answer.

If any result has a record associated with it, results will not be electronically available and can only be transmitted by U.S. Mail. Current mailing timelines take at least seven to 10 business days to reach the intended destination.

All results will still be transmitted by US Mail to all applicants.