The 44th Annual KDKA-TV Turkey Fund is underway, and every Wednesday from now until Thanksgiving, we’re going to share stories with you about why your donations to the Turkey Fund are so important.               

This week, we’re focusing on a different type of donation: your time. Volunteering at the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank is just as critical as giving food or money.

“It’s such an easy thing to do that just means a lot to other people,” Judy Wertheimer said.

Wertheimer has been volunteering at the food bank for five years. She began during the start of the pandemic, and now, it’s almost like a second family to her.

“I would say it feels like a family when you come here. Walking in here feels really good,” Wertheimer said. 

She volunteers once a week for three hours.

“The work is always different, week to week,” Wertheimer said. “You never know what you’re going to be doing. Sometimes we’re packing boxes that get distributed to all the different food pantries and other areas around the whole county. Other times, we’re bagging food. We’ll be bagging 3-pound bags of apples or green peppers or whatever it is that we’re getting in this week.”

Wertheimer is one of 8,300 volunteers a year who donate more than 70,000 hours to the food bank.

“They donate their time through various things like the Volunteer Engagement Center, The Market, which is our on-site food pantry, our direct distributions out in the community, and through our agriculture programs,” said Maria Montaro, the corporate and community giving manager for the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank.

Every volunteer hour accounts for about 100 meals. And it would take 34 full-time staff to do the work the volunteers do.

“We truly could not do this work without the support of all of our volunteers,” Montaro said. 

Volunteers come from far and wide and can commit to as little or as much time as fits their schedules.

“We have folks who are able to come out and just volunteer one or two times a year for a few hours, and then we have some of our more dedicated regulars who are here sometimes every day,” Montaro said.

Right now, the food bank’s biggest demand for volunteers is in its on-site food pantry.

“We need about 40 volunteers every single day to make The Market run and function well to serve close to 200 families who are coming out to receive all different types of food,” Montaro said. 

And signing up to volunteer couldn’t be easier. Just go to the food bank’s website.

“It feels great to be able to help people,” Wertheimer said. “I’ve been blessed. I’ve always had enough, and I feel very thankful for that. So, to know that it’s this easy to come here and do things that help other people, it’s just been such a great experience for me. I just love coming here. It’s just really fun, and I’m so glad that I did it. I couldn’t be happier with how it’s worked out. It’s really important to me, and I love that I can do it.”

Now’s your chance to help the food bank help our neighbors in need as we approach the holidays. We’re asking you to please donate to the KDKA-TV Turkey Fund. Go to any PNC Bank and they’ll match all donations of $50 or more. You can also text “KDTURKEY” to 50155 or donate at kdka.com/turkeyfund. And we’re also still accepting checks. Mail them to “PO Box Thanks, Pittsburgh, PA 15230.”

From all of us at KDKA-TV, thank you!