OPDC is pleased to be working with a wide variety of community partners to distribute food, produce, and other essential items during the Covid-19 pandemic.
We owe much of our gratitude to Chef Carlos Thomas from Feed the Hood and Confluence Catering and his team who have worked tirelessly to prepare hot meals for communities across the city. Equally, we give many thanks to Neashia Johnson from the Hill District Consensus Group for making this program successful. They started this program in March with distribution sites in The Hill District and Wilkinsburg, and have expanded to sites in South and West Oakland.
We are helping to distribute food at Frazier Fieldhouse (3716 Frazier St.) on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 3 - 5 p.m. and Saturdays from 12 - 2 pm. Both Teireik Williams from the Trap Panther Party and Erin Angeli from The Commonwealth of Oakland have been immense presences in making this program run.
Together, we have distributed over 1,000 meals in South Oakland alone, and have started to provide fresh produce from 412 Food Rescue, facemasks, hand sanitizer, toilet paper, and other essential household items.
Any South Oakland residents who would like items or meals delivered to their porch can call or text Jarrett Crowell, OPDC Community Organizer, at (412) 568-3882. The Frazier Fieldhouse site is accepting donations of toiletries, hand soap, toilet paper, diapers (size 0-6), paper towels, and garbage bags. Please drop off donations of these items during the distribution times.
Feed the Hood has also partnered with The Corner community center and Friendship Community Church in West Oakland. In response to Covid-19, The Corner has worked with various community partners to provide 550 lunch and dinner meals, fresh produce, masks, and hygiene products. Community partners include McAuley Ministries, Patrix Catering, Ujamaa Collective, Macedonia FACE, Corner staff, and local neighbors.
They distribute food on Thursdays* from 3 - 5 p.m. at Friendship Community Church (181 Robinson St.) - all are welcome! We want to say thank you to Nadine Masagara-Taylor and dedicated community volunteers and partners who have made this distribution site successful. The Corner accepts donations of non-perishable canned food, hygiene products, diapers size (0-6) and cleaning supplies at Friendship Church every Thursday* 2 - 5pm.
For more information, contact Nadine Masagara-Taylor at 412-436-9127, email CornerPgh@gmail.com or follow @CornerPgh on social media. To support The Corner’s community outreach efforts, please visit: www.paypal.me/CornerPgh
If you would like to make a monetary donation to Feed the Hood’s Grab N Go Distribution program, please visit: charity.gofundme.com/o/en/campaign/grabngodinners#
Photos 3 - 6 courtesy Nadine Masagara-Taylor
1. Diana Purdom and Rachael Strayer serving food at the Frazier Fieldhouse.
2. Janet Sims, Teireik Williams, and Merce Lemon preparing plates for neighbors.
3. Fresh produce!
4. Rene Canady, resident & food distribution volunteer.
5. Ms. Liz Bennet, resident and food distribution volunteer, with her nieces and nephew.
6. Ms. Belinda Upsher distributing food to a neighbor.
*updated July 15, 2020
