U.S. Steel, AHA team up to feed kids
By JEFF STITT
jstitt@yourmvi.com
The American Heart Association and U.S. Steel understand that proper nutrition and access to healthy options are essential in building healthier communities.
That’s why the two organizations partnered this year with the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank to provide a grant so Clairton City School District students could have access to healthy “grab-and-go meals” through the district’s summer food program.
District business manager Larry Nicolette, who has been overseeing the feeding program this summer, said the district offers its summer food program each year.
“In a non-COVID year, we operate a summer feeding program where the students are able to come in and grab food from the cafeteria,” he said. “But this year, we were able to offer grab and go because obviously you couldn’t congregate.”
Nicolette said the district knew when schools were ordered to close at the end of last school year that it would still need to find a way to offer summer food programs. It began to collaborate with Clairton city leaders about how to ensure that happened and where to deliver and hand out meals.
When leaders from U.S. Steel’s Clairton Coke Works heard from city elected officials that the district needed help coordinating a summer program where healthy meals were delivered to students, the company didn’t hesitate to partner with the AHA and get involved, according to Nicolette.
“They asked us if they could help and the city helped as well to rework the program and deliver the meals,” he said.
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