Pittsburgh, Pa. – The Western Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic League (WPIAL) and Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank have announced the final donation numbers of the fourth annual WPIAL & Pittsburgh City League Food & Fund Drive, with a total of 82,389 meals raised for Western Pennsylvania communities.
Six schools earned Community Champion accolades after raising the most meals in their respective classifications, with two winners capturing the honors for the first time since the Food & Fund Drive was started. The 2024 Community Champions are Armstrong (Class 6A), Central Catholic (Class 5A), The Ellis School (Class 1A), Seton LaSalle (Class 3A), Southmoreland (Class 4A), and Winchester Thurston (Class 2A).
Central Catholic and The Ellis School are the 14th and 15th different schools to be named Community Champions since 2021. Central Catholic raised a league-high 15,846 meals, which is the second most in Food & Fund Drive history behind Moon’s 2021 total of 19,362. The Ellis School raised 6,254 meals to top the Class 1A field and finish sixth overall.
Armstrong and Winchester Thurston have both earned Community Champion plaudits in three consecutive years. Armstrong, the 2022 overall champion, finished second overall with 8,929 meals raised, while Winchester Thurston raised 4,674 meals to lead the Class 2A schools.
Southmoreland and Seton LaSalle are returning Community Champions from 2023. Southmoreland, the 2023 overall champion, raised 8,223 meals to place third overall, and Seton LaSalle led the Class 3A group once again with 2,670 meals raised.
The 2024 Food & Fund Drive saw 14 schools raise over 1,000 meals, 13 schools donate 100 or more items of food, and six schools – Aliquippa, Armstrong, Calvary Chapel Christian, Freeport, Knoch, and Southmoreland – collect at least 500 food items for the drive. The final total of 82,389 meals raised is the second most in the four years of the Food & Fund Drive, and comes from $23,475.26 in monetary donations and 9,969 physical food items donated. Armstrong raised the most physical food item donations with 2,161, while Central Catholic topped all other schools in monetary donations with $5,282.00.
The top 10 schools in meals raised were Central Catholic (15,846), Armstrong (8,929), Southmoreland (8,223), Seneca Valley (7,673), Knoch (7,141), The Ellis School (6,254), Winchester Thurston (4,674), Bethel Park (4,178), Seton LaSalle (2,670), and Calvary Chapel Christian (2,489). The four other schools to raise over 1,000 meals were Freeport (2,089), West Greene (1,979), McGuffey (1,502), and Mohawk (1,227).
Since 2021, the WPIAL and Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank partnered to hold an annual food drive with all its and Pittsburgh City League (PIAA District VIII) schools. Schools are 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 are named Community Champions. In the four years of the Food & Fund Drive, WPIAL and Pittsburgh City League schools have raised a total of 329,553 meals for the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank.
Winning schools will be recognized with a Community Champion banner for their achievement either at this year’s WPIAL Basketball Championships, or by having a Food Bank staff member present their banner at their school.
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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