Pens' leftovers given to grateful food bank
Local food shelters this week received plates of trout mousse, olive tapenade and chicken wrapped in prosciutto, along with more standard fare such as hot dogs, chicken fingers and pizza, donated by the Pittsburgh Penguins.
The team donated 1,150 pounds of leftover food from its first two games at Consol Energy Center -- and some of it has been very high quality, said Corey Hawk, food resource solicitor for the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank.
"It's definitely a break from the doldrums," he said.
That food in the past has gone into the garbage, just like the leftovers at Heinz Field and PNC Park.
The National Hockey League rolled out a program this season to get all 30 of its franchises to start donating the food to local shelters through a program called Rock and Wrap it Up!, which connects concert promoters and sports teams with local community shelters.
Once a group hears about the program, it would be hard to say why they wouldn't do it, said Penguins spokesman Tom McMillan.
"It's the nature of the business: There's a lot of food that's prepared but not sold," he said. "Why not use it in a positive manner?"
Philadelphia-based Aramark provides food at the arena, as well as PNC Park and Heinz Field. Based on how the new program goes, the company would look at expanding it to the other sports facilities, said spokesman Dave Freireich.
Syd Mandelbaum, the founder of Rock and Wrap It Up!, said he has reached out to the Pirates and would be calling on the Steelers. Spokesmen for the teams could not be reached for comment.
Company executives often fear the liability of someone getting sick from the food, but federal laws have been passed to protect donors, Mandelbaum said.
"If we didn't do this, the food would go into a landfill," Mandelbaum said. "For us, that is the bottom line."
The Pittsburgh food bank distributes about 23 million pounds of food a year, said spokeswoman Iris Valanti. It can accept food that has been prepared but not served.
"That's how you do it -- one donor at a time," she said.
Food collected at the arena will be distributed to soup kitchens in the Hill District, Downtown and in the North Side.
