"UJF Young Adults sponsors Mitzvah Day"
The Jewish Encyclopedia
of Western Pennsylvania
A project of the Rauh Jewish Archives at the Heinz History Center
The JFCS Squirrel Hill Food Pantry provides food assistance and counseling services for families living in the 15217 zip code and kosher-keeping families outside the zip code.
A Jewish Healthcare Foundation report from 1994 identified a shortfall around food security. While 10 percent of families in the local Jewish community met federal poverty guidelines, only 4 percent were receiving supplemental food services. The Jewish Healthcare Foundation provided a three-year grant to establish the Kosher SuperPantry and convened a coalition of local Jewish organizations to assist with planning: JFCS-Pittsburgh, the Hebrew Free Loan Association, the Jewish Assistance Fund, the Jewish Community Center, the Jewish Association on Aging, the Rabbinical Council of Pittsburgh, the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank, and Rainbow Kitchen.
The Kosher SuperPantry opened in October 1998 at Wightman School Community Center. It became the Squirrel Hill Food Pantry in 2007 and the Squirrel Food Community Food Pantry in 2020 to reflect its broader clientele but maintained its kosher status. It relocated to 5842 Forward Avenue in 2000 and to 828 Hazelwood Ave. in 2010.
