South Hills Interfaith Ministries Receives Wal-Mart Grant

South Hills Interfaith Ministries (SHIM), which runs the in , was the recipient on Thursday of a grant presented by Wal-Mart and The Walmart Foundation.

SHIM, headquartered in Bethel Park, received $30,000 to run its Pantry Plus program.

“Poverty is usually hidden in suburban communities, but all of that is beginning to change as the needs keep growing,” said , executive director of SHIM, which has a pantry that distributes more than 250,000 pounds of food per year.

Funding from Wal-Mart and The Walmart Foundation targets organizations working to help those in need in the Pittsburgh area.

SHIM's pantry enables needy families to choose from a large variety of fresh breads, canned goods, frozen items, pastas, desserts and beverages twice every month. The program also offers support to help families become more self-sufficient.

Also receiving funds at the check presentation were representatives from Northside Common Ministries (NCM), a member of Goodwill Southwestern Pennsylvania.

SHIM and NCM receive weekly deliveries from the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank, a member of Hunger-Free Pennsylvania (HFP), which received $235,000—the largest grant awarded by The Walmart Foundation in the state this year. The grant will support HFP's network of 21 food banks throughout Pennsylvania.

Two refrigerated food delivery trucks, each valued at $90,000, also were donated to help HFP affiliates.

To be considered for support, prospective grantee organizations must submit applications through The Walmart Foundation State Giving Program's online application. For details, visit www.walmartfoundation.org/stategiving.

This article originally appeared on the .

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