Join the Forest Hills-Regent Square Food & Tote Bag Drive

In a world filled with polarizing political issues and arguments that never seem to end, there is one problem that we can unify around and all do something about together—hunger.

While many of us are lucky enough to have a job and enough money to put food on the table, many people do not have the ability to feed their families. Hunger is happening everywhere—it’s here in our community, it’s spreading across the region and it’s a national problem that we should all gather to combat—right now.

In conjunction with the , we are going to start a movement of sorts here at Forest Hills-Regent Square Patch—between Nov. 1 and Dec. 18, I challenge every reader who is able to find a tote bag you haven’t used in a year (you know you have one!) and fill it up with nonperishable items for the Pittsburgh Food Bank. (Have even more bags to donate? Bring them along with the food!) I kicked off our drive last week with two bags of food!

You’ll be doing good from two angles—someone shopping at the food bank will have an easy way to handle their items, rather than lugging around bulky bags, AND you’ll help someone to feed their family.

At the same time, we want you to play a key role in spreading the word and encouraging your neighbors to help. Be a social media hero and tweet when your bags are ready to be donated! (Give us a shout out @ForestHPatch!) Also, tweet @Tote4Pgh and @pghfoodbank.

Post it on Facebook and share this link as well. Our hashtag for this project is #ForestHPatchGives—while you can also use the #smhero hashtag as well, encouraging others to become a social media hero!

Not a big social media person? Email me at Stephanie.Rex@Patch.com and let us know when you donate so we can keep track of our progress!

The drop off spot for the bags with food is —stay tuned for weekly updates through the end of December. (There also is an opportunity for you to add some dog food to your donation! Pets in the families need help, too.)

You can start collecting your food now and remember, start dropping off your donations next Tuesday, Nov. 1! Together, we can make a big difference. Let’s do this!

Here is a list of the items that are most needed at the food bank:

• Peanut butter
• Cans of tuna and salmon
• Vegetables
• Fruits
• High-fiber cereals
• Beans, pasta
• Chili, stews and soup
• Fruit and vegetable juices

Let’s get ready to make a change! If you have any questions, email me here!