Bounty for food banks

Trade war with China makes surplus products available for distribution to the poor

From cheese to pork to potatoes, the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank has begun distributing additional food it has received as part of a federal program tied to ongoing trade disputes between the U.S. and China.

When the Trump administration placed tariffs on steel and aluminum products from China and other countries last year, several nations responded by putting retaliatory tariffs on U.S. agricultural exports.

To aid farmers hurt by the tariffs, the U.S. Department of Agriculture is buying up to $1.2 billion in additional food for its food distribution programs.

“Due to these tariffs that are being placed on U.S. agriculture, there’s an abundance of product that is available,” said Justin Lee, chief operating officer for the food bank.

The food bank has scheduled monthly “pop-up foodshare” distributions through June to give out the extra food, which also is being given out through its other programs and its partner agencies.

At Northside Common Ministries, the food pantry there has received fresh oranges as a result of the program, said Jana Thompson, the pantry’s manager.

Nationwide, a wide variety of products is going to food banks, from dairy products like milk and cheese, to pork, apples and apple juice, grapes and nuts, said Mark O’Neill, a spokesman for the Pennsylvania Farm Bureau.

It’s unclear how much longer the trade dispute will go on, said Mr. O’Neill, who said farmers want to see negotiations continue and tariffs as a last resort.

“Talks are continuing between the two countries, and I certainly wouldn’t want to predict what can and will happen,” Mr. O’Neill said of any potential U.S.-China deal.

“Farmers were innocent victims in all this,” he said of the trade dispute. “We want to see our products in a free market and get a fair price and hopefully make a profit.”

The next food-sharing distribution date will be at 5:30 p.m. April 5 at the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank, 1 N. Linden Street, Duquesne. The food is free to households with incomes below 150 percent of the federal poverty level, or $37,650 annually for a family of four. Bring bags or boxes; you will get 30 to 50 pounds of food. To learn more, call 412-460-3663.

Jessie Wardarski/Post-Gazette Food bank volunteer Barb Trusilo, left, of Churchill takes a food ticket from Rosetta White of Dravosburg, third from right, and her husband Jon White of Dravosburg, second from right, as they're helped by food bank volunteer Andy Henry of Moon.