Edgar Snyder & Associates Partners With Josh Harrison to Help Hungry Kids

Project Food Drive

At Edgar Snyder & Associates, we believe it's important to give back to our community. So we've teamed up with baseball star Josh Harrison, also known as J-Hay, who makes a big impact both on and off the field. We’re supporting Dreambuilders, a non-profit that works with athletes in different cities to help kids in need to reach their educational and wellness goals.

Alongside J-Hay, Dreambuilders, and the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank, we're mobilizing the community to donate food to our neighbors facing food insecurity. That's why we've created Project Food Drive to motivate local organizations like churches, schools, and businesses to get involved.

How to Launch Your Own Food Drive

To launch your own food drive like ours with Josh Harrison, first explore the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank's Community Fundraising Toolkit, found on their website. In that kit, you'll find everything you need to plan your own fundraising event – a food drive or a virtual drive to collect funds – including detailed planning instructions, creative tools, the Food Bank's most wanted items, and other helpful information.

Once you've decided what type of event you'd like to host, register your event with the Food Bank before starting. They'll get in touch to answer any questions and give you the support you need. After you're registered and confirmed, it's time to enlist support and publicize your drive.

Questions? Visit the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank's Community Fundraising hub, where you can find more details and contact information for help to organize a successful drive!

Helping Hungry Kids Over the Weekend

For some kids, getting enough to eat on the weekends is a real concern.

To combat the hunger that some students face over the weekend, we were also proud to partner with J-Hay, Dreambuilders, the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank, and FOCUS+Pittsburgh to support a Backpack Feeding Program. The program sends healthy food home with kids on Fridays so that they don't have to worry about being hungry over the weekend.

The backpack program was created after a Pittsburgh Public School teacher contacted the Food Bank to ask for assistance for her students. Many of them would become anxious on Fridays as they prepared themselves for a weekend that could possibly be devoid of breakfasts, lunches, and dinners.

The teacher said that, unfortunately, when those same students arrived back to class on Mondays they were tired and lethargic—some even had behavioral issues—because they simply did not get enough to eat over the weekend.

"As an organization dedicated to feeding people in need, the food insecurity issues these children were facing motivated us to act and get meals to students for the weekend," said Lisa Scales, Food Bank president and chief executive officer. "Food insecurity is harmful to all people, but it is particularly devastating to children. Proper nutrition is critical to a child’s development. Backpacks alone will not solve childhood hunger, but they will provide immediate relief for children and families."

Previously, we also worked with JHay and Dreambuilders to support a local Blessings in a Backpack program.

How You Can Help

If you're interested in joining Project Food Drive and organizing a food drive of your own, follow our steps above or visit the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank's Food Drive information center.

There are other ways to help fight child hunger in our hometown, like donating to your local food bank or signing up to be a volunteer. If you are experiencing food insecurity, locate your local food pantry for assistance.