Pittsburgh, Pa. – The Western Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic League (WPIAL) announced Monday afternoon that it is continuing its partnership with the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank for the league’s fourth annual Food & Fund Drive with the Pittsburgh City League. The 2024 Food & Fund Drive will run over most of the fall semester, as it begins Monday, August 19 and ends Friday, December 6.
In the first three years of the Food & Fund Drive, WPIAL and Pittsburgh City League schools raised a total of 247,165 meals for the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank. In 2023, there were 15 schools that provided over 1,000 meals each, and seven schools that raised over 100 pounds in physical donations.
“We are excited to partner with the (Greater Pittsburgh Community) Food Bank once again for our annual Food & Fund Drive,” said Scott Seltzer, WPIAL Executive Director. “A new school year brings the opportunity to make a good first impression, and we’re excited to see the friendly competition between our schools as we look to make a difference in our communities this semester.”
“We at the Food Bank are so truly grateful for the WPIAL schools and their incredible students who work hard each year to make sure that no neighbor goes to bed hungry,” said Lisa Scales, Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank President and CEO. “While grocery prices have stabilized, they have done so at the higher prices families have been struggling with over the past few years. Situations like this is what makes the WPIAL Food and Fund Drive so valuable.”
Schools will be divided into six divisions by enrollment, and the schools tabulating the most “meals” (total between money donated and food collected) in each of those divisions will be announced in December after totals are calculated. Winning schools will be recognized with a Community Champion banner for their achievement either at the WPIAL Basketball Championships in March 2024, or by having a Food Bank staff member present their banner at their school.
Donations can be made in two ways – financial donations and physical food donations. For financial donations, each school has its own donation page on Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank (
pittsburghfoodbank.org/wpial24) that will keep a running total. Those wanting to donate will be asked to select their school from the Pittsburgh Food Bank link. For every $1.00 donated, three meals can be provided.
For physical food donations, one food item will equal one meal. Schools are permitted and encourage to have multiple food collections – such as in school, at a sporting event, or during a school event – and will then have to select a time and location to drop off collected food so it can be counted and credited toward the school’s total meals provided. School donations will also be credited to their applicable food bank (ex. Collections from Westmoreland County schools will go to Westmoreland County Food Bank).
Last year’s Community Champions were Seneca Valley in Class 6A, Armstrong in Class 5A, Knoch in Class 4A, Mohawk in Class 3A, Winchester Thurston in Class 2A, and Redeemer Lutheran in Class 1A, with Southmoreland raising a league-high 11,397 meals. Southmoreland also collected a league-best 4,056 items of physical food donations, and Winchester Thurston collected the most in monetary donations with $3,484.
The six divisions are listed below. Schools listed with an asterisk (*) are from the Pittsburgh City League:
Class 6A Division: Allderdice*, Armstrong, Baldwin, Bethel Park, Butler, Canon-McMillan, Connellsville, Fox Chapel, Gateway, Greater Latrobe, Hempfield Area, Kiski Area, Moon, Mt. Lebanon, North Allegheny, North Hills, Norwin, Penn Hills, Penn-Trafford, Peters Township, Pine-Richland, Plum, Seneca Valley, Shaler, Upper St. Clair, Woodland Hills
Class 5A Division: Albert Gallatin, Ambridge, Belle Vernon, Blackhawk, Brashear*, Central Catholic, Central Valley, Chartiers Valley, Elizabeth Forward, Franklin Regional, Greensburg Salem, Hampton, Indiana, Knoch, Laurel Highlands, Mars, McKeesport, Montour, New Castle, Ringgold, South Fayette, Thomas Jefferson, Trinity, Uniontown, West Allegheny
Class 4A Division: Avonworth, Beaver, Beaver Falls, Burrell, Carrick*, Charleroi, Deer Lakes, Derry, East Allegheny, Ellwood City, Freeport, Highlands, Hopewell, Keystone Oaks, Ligonier Valley, Lincoln Park, McGuffey, Mt. Pleasant, North Catholic, Pittsburgh Creative & Performing Arts*, Quaker Valley, South Park, Southmoreland, Steel Valley, Valley, Yough
Class 3A Division: Aliquippa, Apollo-Ridge, Bentworth, Brownsville, Carlynton, Chartiers-Houston, Frazier, Freedom Area, Laurel, Mohawk, Neshannock, New Brighton, Northgate, Oakland Catholic, Obama Academy*, Our Lady of the Sacred Heart, Perry Traditional Academy*, Pittsburgh Science & Technology Academy*, Riverside, Seton LaSalle, Shady Side Academy, South Allegheny, Sto-Rox, Washington, Waynesburg Central, Westinghouse*
Class 2A Division: Bethlehem-Center, Brentwood, Burgettstown, California, Carmichaels, Clairton, Eden Christian Academy, Fort Cherry, Greensburg Central Catholic, Jeannette, Jefferson-Morgan, Leechburg, Propel Braddock Hills, Propel Montour, Riverview, Rochester, Serra Catholic, Shenango, South Side, Springdale, Union, University Prep*, West Greene, Western Beaver, Winchester Thurston
Class 1A Division: Aquinas Academy, Avella, Beaver County Christian, Bishop Canevin, Calvary Chapel Christian, Chestnut Ridge Academy, Cornell, The Ellis School, Environmental Charter, Geibel Catholic, Grace Christian School, Hillel Academy, Imani Christian Academy, Mapletown, Monessen, Mt. Moriah Christian, Nazareth Prep, The Neighborhood Academy, Open Door Christian, Propel Andrew Street, Redeemer Lutheran, Saint Joseph, Sewickley Academy, The Summit Academy, Trinity Christian
Over the first three years of the WPIAL & Pittsburgh City League Food & Fund Drive, a total of 13 schools garnered Community Champion plaudits, with Armstrong, Knoch, Redeemer Lutheran, Seneca Valley, and Winchester Thurston all winning twice. Moon was the overall winner in 2021 with 19,362 meals raised, and Armstrong raised 12,392 meals for the highest total in 2022.
About the WPIAL
Founded in 1906, the Western Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic League (WPIAL) represents Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association (PIAA) District VII, which is one of the 12 districts governed by the Constitution and By-Laws of the PIAA. The WPIAL represents its member schools by promoting academics, the safety of participants, sportsmanship, citizenship, and lifelong values as the foundation of interscholastic athletics. The league holds championships for 27 different sports, and its member schools are made up of 10 state counties: Allegheny, Armstrong, Beaver, Butler, Fayette, Greene, Indiana, Lawrence, Washington, and Westmoreland.
About the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank
Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank (Food Bank) is a nonprofit organization that distributes food for more than 42 million meals annually across 11 counties in southwestern Pennsylvania through a network of more than 1,000 agencies, partners, and programs.
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