Penn Hills Library Community Fridge – Penn Hills Library

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Penn Hills Library Community Fridge

Say "Hello!" to the Penn Hills Library Community Fridge!

Announcements

We will NOT have restocks for the remainder of January.


Our Community Fridge is growing fast! We have had a record number of people at our restocks over the past few weeks! In order to safely and efficiently accommodate this growth, we will be temporarily pausing our restocks so that we can ensure we are able to sustain the Fridge and support as many people as possible. We are committed to continuing to offer this service! We are so grateful to everyone who has contacted us to express their gratitude for the Community Fridge and to all of the volunteers who donate their time.


Thank you for your support and understanding. We will share an update soon about when we will be back to our regular schedule. In the meantime, please see the resources for other food distributions in the area, listed below.

Restock Schedule

Wednesdays - 5:00 PM

Fridays - 11:00AM

About the Community Fridge

The Penn Hills Library Community Fridge is an ongoing library resource available to our patrons. We keep our fridge and freezer stocked with fresh veggies, meal kits, milk and dairy products, juice, and so much more. On our pantry shelves you'll be able to find anything from canned goods, snacks, and breakfast items to pads, tampons, and diapers!

We are partnering with local organizations including the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank, Aldi, SHEETZ, Dollar General, 412 Food Rescue, the Good Food Project, Grow Pittsburgh, and Panera Bread!

In addition, we now have a Community Fridge book shelf with a variety of titles about mutual aid, food justice, and much more! These books are located on our lower level next to our Local Authors section. Feel free to check out any of these books at any time!

Thanks to the help of our community partners, we are always adding new items to the shelves. Our main restock days are listed below.

Data Collection & Policy Changes

As of March 2024, we are making some changes to our process in order to comply with our suppliers at the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank.

What is changing and why?

  • In order to receive certain items for our restocks, the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank now requires its partner organizations to collect data from the community members they serve.
  • All non-produce items that we receive from the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank for free (such as milk and eggs) are funded by the Local Food Purchase Assistance Cooperative Agreement Program (LFPA). LFPA required that the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank submit demographic data to prove that the grant has a positive impact on the community.
  • Previously, we were not required to collect data because the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank had waived these requirements to lower barriers to new partner agencies at the start of the pandemic. They recently started requiring data collection again.

What if I don't want to share my data?

  • Providing any personal information is COMPLETELY OPTIONAL. You are not required to fill out any information sheets or check in with staff in order to get food.
  • If you do not wish to fill out an information sheet, let a library staff member know and we can mark you as an "anonymous attendee" to the Community Fridge.
  • We will only distribute information sheets during our restocks. As always, you may access the Community Fridge any time during library operating hours. Anyone who visits our Community Fridge outside of the restock times will not be asked to fill out an information sheet.
  • If you choose to fill out only parts of the information sheet, each section includes an "undisclosed" option.

Where does my data go?

  • The data on the information sheets will ONLY be used to create your digital Link2Feed profile which we will use to check you in at all Community Fridge restocks that you attend.
  • All data the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank reports to LFPA is 100% aggregated and anonymous. They do not share individual profiles, nor do they share any information publicly. All data collected by the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank is storied on an encrypted server with limited access. Only library staff members who check you in for restocks have access to our Link2Feed page.

What will this new system look like?

  • You will receive an information sheet to fill out. You can take this home and fill it out at your convenience.
  • If you do choose to fill out an information sheet, you only need to do so once.

Donations & Volunteering

We are always looking for ways to expand and improve, so if you are interested in donating to the program or volunteering with us, just call the library at 412-775-4700, or email us at phlibrary@pennhillslibrary.org.