10,000 sandwiches handed out in 2 hours to people in need at Oakmont Bakery

OAKMONT, Pa. — In about two hours, all 10,000 sandwiches Oakmont Bakery had to pass out Monday to people in need were gone.

The sandwiches were given out to help make sure people don’t go hungry during a time of uncertainty with the coronavirus.

The Chaffin Luhana Foundation spearheaded the effort, teaming up with the bakery and a small army of volunteers.

“All we wanted to do was shine a little bit of light during this very dark time, and I feel we accomplished that so far today,” Oakmont Bakery’s Tony Serrao said.

Starting at 9 a.m., workers had a drive-through system set up outside the bakery for curbside pickup, avoiding hand-to-hand contact. Cars arrived early, beginning to wrap around the bakery by 7:30 a.m. The bakery ran out of sandwiches by about 11 a.m.

The idea for making the sandwiches available came from the realization that people, including Pittsburgh Public Schools students, are in need right now.

“I’m taking 300 sandwiches and milk to the youth in Sharpsburg and the Youth Empowerment Center, Roots of Faith and Family Worship Center,” Ann Boyd, of Indiana Township, said as she teared up watching volunteers load up her car.

You can customize your WPXI News App to receive alerts for Allegheny County news. CLICK HERE to find out how.

Attorney Eric Chaffin created a team of local nonprofits and out of state businesses to make the effort possible.

"We saw a need. We knew there were a lot of kids out of school that would not be getting lunches,” Chaffin said. “We were able to acquire, through the foundation, 2,500 pounds of New York deli meat, roast beef and turkey.”

Serrao said it took a lot of long days of work and planning, but the end result was rewarding and it’s what Pittsburgh is all about.

“This is a community that works together, that is together, stays together. We’ll get through it together,” Boyd said.

Dormont residents sing songs on sidewalk to stay connected during coronavirus outbreak Dormont residents sing songs on sidewalk to stay connected during coronavirus outbreak

© 2020 Cox Media Group