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90.5 WESA Celebrates People Making A Difference

Western Pennsylvania has a strong tradition of neighborhood, personal and community commitment. Our pride in pulling together goes far beyond supporting our deep-rooted sports teams. 90.5 WESA Celebrates People Making a Difference honors the individuals that are making a difference in people's lives on the ground level and reminding us we are all truly a part of each other's lives.This special series, supported by UPMC, will highlight, honor and celebrate Western Pennsylvanians who are unsung heroes daring to make a difference to others in our community.00000176-e6f7-dce8-adff-f6f770c8000000000176-e6f7-dce8-adff-f6f770ca000000000176-e6f7-dce8-adff-f6f770cc000090.5 WESA PA listening area counties:Allegheny, Beaver, Washington, Westmoreland, Butler, Armstrong, Cambria, Somerset, Bedford, Fayette, Indiana00000176-e6f7-dce8-adff-f6f770cd0000This project is made possible by a generous contribution from UPMC.

Joyce Rothermel, Following a Calling to Feed the Hungry

90.5 WESA | By WESA Staff

Published April 4, 2014 at 3:30 AM EDT

Read and listen to a story about Joyce Rothermel as part of a series honoring the individuals who make a difference in people’s lives: 90.5 WESA Celebrates People Making a Difference.

A study that was done in 1977 at the University of Pittsburgh on the instances of hunger in Allegheny County documented 48,000 people experiencing hunger — that is, going without food for a 24-hour period.

That is what gave Joyce the impetus to attend a workshop in Harrisburg on food banking, a concept that was new but creating interest around the country.

According to Joyce, “Food banking is really a warehousing operation, on somewhat on a wholesale level, food is collected from a variety of sources , the food industry, and individual donations.”