Tribune-Review
Courtesy of Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank
Food Bank Operations Director Gail Robbins at a pantry in McKeesport in 1985.
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In June 1980, the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank opened its doors in the Hill District. The once-thriving steel industry, which had been in a slow, steady decline for nearly 30 years, began to rapidly deteriorate during the early 1980s. In January 1983, the region’s unemployment rate hit 18.2 percent, leaving 212,000 people unemployed and in need of emergency food assistance.
This week on the Food Podcast presented by Clearview Federal Credit Union, host Brian Gulish looks back on the history of the food bank, including an in-depth interview with operations director Gail Robbins. Robbins has been an employee of the food bank for 38½ years.