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Pittsburgh City Council

City planning to send expiring pandemic relief dollars to food banks.

Written by Amy Whipple

As the expiration deadline for federal grants looms, the city continues its efforts to spend balances.

Council gave preliminary approval at its April 29 committee meeting to split more than $55,000 in unused federal community development block grants to the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank and the JFCS Squirrel Hill Food Bank.

The money initially came through the Cares Act, which provided additional funds for states to distribute during the Covid-19 pandemic. According to assistant director of community development, Kelly Russell, the money going to the two food banks came from three organizations—including $50,000 from Neighborhood Housing Services—that were either unable to use the balance ahead of the deadline or had completed their projects.

Community development program supervisor AJ Miller said the grants came with more spending restrictions than usual. While pandemic response projects were the only grants that qualified for the money initially, that has shifted to cover future pandemic preparation and prevention.

Miller said the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank intends to use its share to implement a new system to better track inventory. She said that smaller pantries within the city represent about 16% of the larger organization’s partner pantries.

The deadline for spending the remaining grant money is June 1.

Connections to this story

Topics:
Public Health
Governments:
Pittsburgh City Council
Public meetings:
City Council · April 28, 2026
Sources:
Resolution 2026-0350 — amending resolution No. 662 of 2024, entitled "Resolution authorizing the Mayor and the Director of the Office of…

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