Apr 1, 2019 By Dave Zuchowski for The Almanac writer@thealmanac.Net 4 min read

For the past 10 years or so, Finleyville Food Pantry has served more than 200 food recipients each month from a location at First Presbyterian Church.

And while Pat Trumpie, the pantry’s board president, said the group is grateful to the church for letting the basement be rented for their operations, safety concerns have been an ongoing issue, especially with the church’s location at 3595 Washington Ave. in a busy part of town.

“When the food delivery truck comes once a month, we put traffic cones on the street and around the back and sides of the truck,” Trumpie said. “We also have volunteers who unload additional food they get from restaurants and markets almost daily. It’s also a bad situation for the recipients who come by to pick up the food.”

In addition to its monthly food distribution from 9 a.m. to noon the third Saturday of each month, the pantry also distributes produce that includes vegetables, fruit and sometimes meat to anyone who comes in from 9 to 10:30 a.m. the first, second and last Saturday of each month.

The problem is even though the speed limit posted for the area is 25 mph, Trumpie said drivers seem to see it as a speedway. Some drive over the cones, knock them over and sometimes even yell and shout angry retorts or worse out of their cars. One of the food recipients has been involved in an accident but fortunately wasn’t injured. Others have had close calls.

“The church has been wonderful to us and allows us to use their kitchen and bathrooms when needed,” Trumpie said. “But we’ve found a new location that seems to offer greater safety for our volunteers and clients.”

The new site is a Key Bank location that’s set to be vacated May 3. The 3,320-square-foot building is located on a back street with adequate parking in the rear and front. It is also handicap accessible, offers a larger space and a safer and easier access area to unload the delivery trucks. What’s more, the bank is giving the pantry the chance to be the first buyer of the property, although the asking price won’t be firmed up until the second week of April.

The pantry already has $10,000 in an account that can be used to purchase the building, but is making attempts to raise even more. Volunteers have been contacting area businesses looking for donations, and the pantry held a Feb. 22 wine tasting fundraiser at Trax Farms in Finleyville, which netted $1,500. An additional wine tasting is scheduled from noon to 4 p.m. June 15 at the same location, and plans are in the making to hold a flea market in June or July and a spaghetti dinner in September.

“We’ve looked at other locations, but they were either too far away or too expensive,” Trumpie said. “Because of the number of families we serve who live in Finleyville, we want to remain in a central location.”

According to Michael Conlin, communications manager for Key Bank Western Pennsylvania, Key Bank is consolidating its Finleyville branch with the Hillcrest Branch in Bethel Park to which all local accounts will be transferred. As a result, the Finleyville branch will close May 3.

“Today, more and more customers are using online digital banking, and we’re making greater investment in technology to enhance these services,” Conlin said. “Part of this is optimizing our branch network.”

Trumpie said if the pantry raises enough money to buy the vacated building, it can move into the new site by July. For more information or to donate money, contact 412-616-7573.