Generous Donation Helps Jump-Start North Allegheny Helping Pantry

McCANDLESS, PA - In the relatively affluent communities in the North Allegheny School District, you might not think homlessness is a problem. But during the 2018-19 school year, 18 North Allegheny students were classified as homeless and forced to reside with friends or family or in shelters.

Thanks to the generosity of two community members, there now is a resource in place to help such students.

Paul Heckman and Marcia Caliendo have donated $5,000 to the district to provide initial funding for the Helping Pantry, which will be available for students who are homeless or face significant financial challenges. The donation was made in honor of Caliendo's parents, Raymond and Fay Caliendo.

A joint venture of the North Allegheny Foundation and North Allegheny Senior High School, the Helping Pantry will stock supplies that students living in nontraditional or temporary conditions might have difficulty obtaining - clean socks, backpacks, snacks, winter coats, gloves, undergarments, feminine hygiene products, and school supplies.

In order to help with educational expenses, the North Allegheny Foundation also administers an Angel Fund program to help with educational expenses for financially struggling students. Through this fund, the foundation receives requests for aid to cover testing fees, uniforms
for vocational programs, Summer Academy tuition, and field trip costs.