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While closed, Peters Township shop serves as collection point for food donations

By Harry Funk staff Writer hfunk@thealmanac.Net 3 min read
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A first-time entrepreneur was looking forward to taking ownership of a combination hair salon, spa and clothing boutique in Peters Township.

“We started the discussions probably back in January, and I had everything lined up,” township resident Rachel Bunta said. “I had signed my lease at the beginning of March for an April 1 start.”

In the interim, of course, came the closing of Pennsylvania’s nonessential businesses – including her shop, Opal Rose – as a precaution against the spread of COVID-19.

The first day’s worth of donations were placed in a “li’l food pantry” at the Venetia Heritage Society on Venetia Road in Peters Township.

As is her nature, Bunta chose to focus on the problems the situation is causing in terms of: “What can we do to help the community and give back?”

“Peters is a great place because a lot of people do want to help out,” the Donora native said. “So I thought, hey, the least I could do is put some bins outside the front door of Opal Rose.”

And so her business at McDowell Shops, off Route 19, is accepting donations of nonperishable food items from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily on behalf of the nonprofit It Takes a Village of Washington County, which helps families in crisis.

Led by Bunta’s former classmate Kandi Woods, the organization’s volunteers are stocking a series of “li’l food pantries,” including one at the Venetia Heritage Society building, the old Venetia School in Peters Township. According to the It Takes a Village Facebook page, “If you are in need, please help yourself. If you have a little extra, please consider donating.”

“I started doing a lot more volunteer work within the last year and a half, and I got more involved with her organization, collecting clothes for people, collecting food and any kind of donations,” Bunta said.

Prior to her taking over Opal Rose, in fact, she had been devoting pretty much a full-time job’s worth of hours to various organizations.

“I was a driver for Meals On Wheels. I do a lot with Dress for Success. I’m the lunch lady at St. Louise,” she said, referencing St. Louise de Marillac School in Upper St. Clair. Plus she has volunteered with Blueprints, formerly known as Community Action Southwest, an organization that works toward helping people attain the skills, knowledge, motivations and opportunities to become self-sufficient.

Regarding her opportunities with Opal Rose, Bunta chooses to remain optimistic.

“I think everything is going to bounce back,” she said. “It might not be how it was at one point. We’re going to have to put some new adaptations into it. But I think we’ll be fine.”

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