Mt. Lebanon residents are stepping up to support students in need at Arlington.
The Mt. Lebanon Council PTA has organized a districtwide food drive running through this Friday, February 13, collecting nonperishable food and necessities for a new school-based food and clothing pantry at Arlington, a Pittsburgh Public School.
Many students at Arlington come from households that struggle to provide basic food and clothing, according to Meghan Larsen-Reidy, Vallevista Avenue.
Larsen-Reidy, who works at Mary Queen of Peace Parish, which serves the Arlington area, secured grants, connected Mt. Lebanon residents with the school and worked with A+ Schools, a nonprofit, to open the pantry in November. The pantry supports students during the school day and provides food for families through scheduled pickups.
When Stacie Carlson, Parkridge Lane, president of the Mt. Lebanon Council PTA, saw a Facebook post about the food and clothing pantry, she knew the PTA could help.
“The PTA council has historically done a large district-wide food drive. It’s been on hiatus since COVID, and it’s been something that we’ve been wanting to bring back for quite a while,” Carlson said.
Working with Danielle Gill, the community schools site manager for Arlington, Carlson helped make the food drive a reality.
“We thought three months after opening might be a good time to do a food drive to help them restock whatever resources might have been used since they opened in November,” Carlson explained.
Mt. Lebanon students have been asked to bring in the following items, based on their school:
- Hoover Elementary: Canned vegetables
- Jefferson Elementary: Canned fruit
- Markham Elementary: Crackers
- Howe Elementary: Macaroni and cheese
- Washington Elementary: Canned meat
- Lincoln Elementary: Granola bars
- Foster Elementary: Toothpaste
- Mellon Middle: Cereal
- Jefferson Middle: Pasta sauce
- Mt. Lebanon High School: Boxes of fruit snacks or cookies
An Amazon Wishlist [1] is available to provide examples of the items requested. Items purchased from the list will be shipped to Carlson’s home. Donations may also be dropped off at Mt. Lebanon schools and the Mt. Lebanon Public Library. A permanent donation box for Arlington is also available at Eden’s Market, 99 Alfred Street.
“It’s amazing to see neighbors come together for kids who live just a few miles away,” Larsen-Reidy said.
Anyone with questions about the food drive is encouraged to email president@mtlcouncilpta.org [2].