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Residents urge Pittsburgh City Council to restore $500,000 Food Justice Fund
Summary
Three public speakers at an April 14, 2026 hearing urged City Council to restore the $500,000 Food Justice Fund cut under proposed budget amendments, citing rising food insecurity, racial disparities in food access and the fund's role in supporting community programs.
PITTSBURGH — At a public hearing on the city’s budget reopening April 14, community advocates urged Pittsburgh City Council to restore $500,000 originally allocated to the Food Justice Fund, saying cuts would undermine neighborhood food access programs.
Dan McCarthy, an organizer with Just Harvest, told the council he and local organizations submitted a letter signed by about 100 Pittsburgh residents and groups and said, “I urge Council to protect and retain the $500,000 originally allocated for the city’s Food Justice Fund.” McCarthy cited rising food costs and SNAP policy changes and warned the cut would weaken community-driven food access work that supports farmers markets, corner stores and distribution networks.
Elena Brown, a Stand Heights resident and Policy and Evaluation Manager at the Pittsburgh Food Policy Council, said the cut (listed in the budget amendments as item 49) halves the Food Justice Fund and urged officials to “frame food as a fundamental human right and essential function and not just a convenience.” Brown said the fund has supported after-school food access, community gardens and collaborations such as City Farms, and she called for a dedicated Food Systems Coordinator in Parks and Recreation to sustain those efforts.
Chief Ikhana Hal Mkhina, identifying as Grand Ambassador of the African descendants of Aboriginal Native American people, linked the fund cut to broader concerns about the city’s use of American Rescue Plan (ARP) dollars. He noted the city received $335 million in ARP funds and alleged leftover funds are being held and reused: “The money was taken somewhere in a slush fund that’s still being used,” he said. Mkhina urged Council to revisit past community proposals — including a $500 monthly stipend idea — and to invest more in youth programming.
The public hearing recorded no council votes or formal decisions. The four budget resolutions listed for the hearing (covering ARP reappropriation, staffing changes in public safety EMS, a $500,000 Parks Trust Fund increase, and general appropriations) were read into the record; the council did not act on them at the hearing and the session was adjourned.
Supporters of the Food Justice Fund pointed to the city’s 2020 Feed PGH report, which identified 23 healthy food priority areas, 18 of them in predominantly Black neighborhoods, and highlighted disparities in access. Advocates said local investments are critical as federal supports fluctuate and asked Council to work with community groups to find alternatives to cuts. The hearing produced public comment and no formal Council vote; next procedural steps were not announced during the session.
