CP Photo: Jared Wickerham Don Mahaney, owner of Scratch & Co.
“Pivot” has been the word of the year for the food industry, and Don Mahaney of Scratch & Co. has championed it, serving his community with every step. In March, Mahaney responded to the needs of neighbors by converting his Troy Hill eatery in Pittsburgh’s North Side to a grocery stocked with hard-to-find goods, toiletries, and a variety of prepared foods. As people struggled with a loss of income, he instituted a temporary “pay-what-you-can” model. He also started doing weekly runs up city steps, raising money to provide meals for those who were food insecure. To help parents manage work and schooling from home, Mahaney designed a subscription box filled with five days of nutritious lunch food. Collaborations, kits, meal donations, and delivery services were consta