Programs and Initiatives

Workplace Culture Committee

A volunteer group of Food Bank staff meet regularly to plan and organize monthly cultural celebrations centered around national cultural observances recognized by the federal government. This group organizes lunch and learns by inviting external presenters to educate staff and creates opportunities for internal dialogue to engage in cultural knowledge sharing – giving staff personal experiences and perspectives from their own unique cultural backgrounds. The group also researches cultural/diversity fun facts to share with the organization to enhance self-learning opportunities. 

The volunteer group also focuses on Health and Wellness initiatives throughout the calendar year, bringing awareness of and advocating for visible and hidden disabilities through employment. The group also encourages healthy lifestyle initiatives, such as step challenges, healthy eating competitions, and fitness programs. 

A third area the committee focuses on is employee engagement. The committee finds opportunities for Food Bank staff to interact with one another for onsite and offsite planned engagements. Providing opportunities for staff to step away from their workload to socialize with other staffers allows the organization to break down silos due to limited interactions with one another. 

Staff Cookouts

Wellness Challenges

Pirate Game Outings

Cultural Heritage Celebrations

Kennywood Days

Trivia Nights

We have some great plans for this business

Equity Council

The Equity, People, and Culture (EPC) department organizes the Food Bank’s Equity Council. The Equity Council is the organization’s vehicle for driving action towards the Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion‘s (EDI’s) strategic pillars. The council is critical in creating organizational change and helping to provide focus/feedback on EDI initiatives.

To set an example of inclusivity the equity council includes representation of balanced leadership, middle management, and staff levels. The council is supported and help accountable through the Food Bank’s executive team for action planning and reporting.

Additionally, the Food Bank’s Equity Council assists the organizations efforts for combating bias and discriminatory practices. It promotes equity, respect, inclusion, opportunity, and community in our workplace.

Equity Lens Tool Exercises

EDI Maturity Model

Cultural Assessment

Employee Resource Groups

Employee Resource Groups are the Food Bank’s commitment to building and maintaining a workplace that values diverse perspectives and ideas that contribute to, advance, and promote the EDI strategic pillars.

Employee Resource Groups are groups of Food Bank staff identifying with various cultures, traditions, ethnicities, or other diverse characteristics with the purpose of supporting company objectives. This is a grass roots initiative driven by staff to help support and bring awareness to diverse/cultural perspective and experiences to full employment opportunities. These groups also provide an opportunity for similarly cultural groups to engage, find common ground, and support the group’s diversity variable through experiences that has historically limited growth in the workplace.

Employee Resource Groups also creates opportunities for internal Food Bank dialogue sessions to engage in cultural knowledge sharing of experiences and perspectives from their own unique cultural backgrounds; bringing awareness to all Food Bankers as an opportunity for cultural growth.

Emerging Professionals

The Emerging Professionals ERG provides an engaged community that empowers staff who are in the early or transitional stages of their careers. Our goal is to jumpstart career advancement and cultivate our leaders of tomorrow.

Serving Up Pride

The Serving Up Pride (SUP) ERG works to develop a community for those who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, queer, questioning, intersex, asexual or additional identities (LGBTQIA+).

Working Caregivers

The Working Caregivers ERG works to create a welcoming and understanding community for staff to support the myriad opportunities associated with working while being (or in the process of becoming) a caregiver.

Neurodiversity in the Workplace

The Neurodiversity in the Workplace ERG (“NeuroD”) aims to help foster a community and workplace that understand the gifts and challenges of being neurodivergent.