The Greater Pittsburgh Food Bank receives an abundance of help during the holiday season, but support tends to drop during the following months.

To help fill this need, the University has reserved a dedicated “Pitt Shift” at the food bank on the first Friday and third Wednesday of each month from January through March, which will  allow up to 15 Pitt staff or faculty to volunteer in a newer area of the food bank called The Market.

The Market, in partnership with Giant Eagle, offers a grocery store-style experience providing shelf-stable products, meat, dairy, fresh produce and non-food grocery items as well as connections to additional resources for help.

All shifts take place from 8:30 a.m. to noon at the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank in Duquesne. The January shift occurs on Jan. 22 in honor of and as an extension to Martin Luther King Jr. Day — a day of service — on Jan. 20.

Pitt staff are eligible to receive paid time off each month to participate in community service or volunteer activities. Learn more on the Office of Human Resources website.

Sign up to volunteer with the food bank. All volunteers must also register on the Food Bank website at least 10 days in advance so that staff can plan appropriately and ensure that everyone has signed the safety waivers before arriving.

The Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank offers several other ways to promote food access throughout Allegheny County.

• Distribute food and interact with the community while helping load cars full of nutritious food

• Help tend to trees and shrubs, mulching and pruning at Chatham University’s Food Bank Orchard located in Gibsonia.

• Inspect, sort and repackage food in the Duquesne warehouse