Overview
- Whitehall resident A.J. Owen launched a take‑what‑you‑need pantry with his sons after a $150 grocery run, and roughly 70% of the food was gone by the next morning.
- An anonymous envelope with thousands of dollars and a note blessing the effort was left in Owen’s mailbox, prompting large restocks including diapers and formula.
- A TikTok post about the pantry has amassed more than 12 million views, drawing steady donations and interest from people tied to the Pittsburgh Steelers, including defensive end Yahya Black.
- The pantry operates around the clock in Whitehall behind the Cassie Village Shopping Center, offering canned goods, staples and hygiene items for neighbors to take or replenish.
- Similar grassroots food efforts have popped up during the government shutdown’s SNAP delays, including a Birmingham giveaway that served hundreds and a DIY front‑yard pantry in Athens, Vermont.