The Salvation Army Western Pennsylvania Division Receives $40,000 Grant from Bayer Fund
PITTSBURGH (February 18, 2024) – The Salvation Army has received a grant for $40,000 from Bayer Fund, a philanthropic arm of Bayer in the U.S. The grant will support the organization’s feeding programs in Allegheny Valley (Brackenridge), Greensburg and New Kensington, Pa. This marks the third year the organization has received funding, allowing The Salvation Army to “Feed It Forward” and respond proactively to food insecurity.
“Feeding programs are a lifeline for families offering not just sustenance, but also hope and a sense of community,” Major Gregory Hartshorn, Divisional Commander, The Salvation Army of Western Pennsylvania said. “Thank you, Bayer Fund, for this generous support. Together, we can build a community where no one goes to bed hungry.”
In Bayer Fund and The Salvation Army’s mutual goal to see the communities we serve flourish, this grant from Bayer Fund will support the organization’s Feed It Forward promise to stand with neighbors in their time of need. The grant supports community sites that foster support and provide meals on a regular basis, emergency food pantries that provide immediate food assistance to individuals and families facing crisis situations, as well as the Love in a Backpack program which provides school children with nourishing food options over the weekends when school breakfast and lunch programs are not available. In the last year (2023-24), The Salvation Army successfully distributed more than 7,500 bags of food to children served by The Salvation Army locations in Greensburg and Allegheny Valley (Brackenridge). This need continues to grow with the location in Brackenridge increasing its weekly support during the school year from 85-119 children. Support from the grant also fuels a weekly market (located outdoors during the warmer months) and interactive cooking demonstrations in New Kensington, distributing more than 3,000 items of fresh produce last year, some grown in local garden beds on-site.
“Bayer Fund is proud to support The Salvation Army and their work to make real, sustainable impacts in their community,” said Amy Simpson, Senior Manager Community Engagement at Bayer Fund. “Programs like The Salvation Army’s Feed It Forward help combat the critical issue of food insecurity, and we’re honored to play a role with helping even more people in our community have access to healthy, nutritious food.”
As the philanthropic arm of Bayer in the U.S., Bayer Fund is making strategic investments in nonprofits that tackle today’s biggest challenges - this includes organizations that work to advance health and wellness and food and nutrition.
About Bayer Fund
Bayer Fund, a philanthropic arm of Bayer in the U.S., is a nonprofit organization dedicated to strengthening the communities where Bayer customers and employees live and work by providing funding for food and nutrition, and health and wellness projects. For more information visit https://www.fund.bayer.us.
About The Salvation Army
Celebrating over 150 years of global service as both a church and a social service organization, The Salvation Army began in London, England in 1865. Today, it provides critical services in 134 countries worldwide. The 28-county Western Pennsylvania Division serves thousands of needy families through a wide variety of support services. To learn more about The Salvation Army in Western Pennsylvania, visit salvationarmywpa.org. The Salvation Army … doing the most good for the most people in the most need.