Times Observer photo by Brian Ferry The Union Golf Scramble held Saturday, July 13, at Blueberry Hill Golf Club, raised $1,800 for Second Harvest Food Bank of Northwest Pennsylvania. Matching donations from Local 95 International Union of Operating Engineers and United Refining Company brought that total to $5,448. The dollars will stay local, going to the Backpack Program and school pantries in Warren County. Pictured (from left) are: Rob Yahner, Refinery Operator and Union Member; Dave Conklin, Business Agent Local 95 IUOE; Rich Barrett, Chief Steward Local 95 IUOE; Andrea Velez, Second Harvest Special Events Coordinator; Barb Kulinski, United Refining Company Director of Human Resources; Justin Kyler, Refinery Operator and Union Member; and Mark Phillips, United Refining Company Senior Vice President.

Golf, giving back, and feeding kids.

The organizers of the Union Golf Scramble, members of Local 95 International Union of Operating Engineers, decided to donate the proceeds of their event to Second Harvest Food Bank programs in Warren County.

“Sponsorship for this event came from many local businesses of Warren County as well as businesses who do contract work at United Refining Company,” Refinery Operator and Union Member Justin Kyler said. “The determination was made to attach a charity to this year’s event to give back to the community.”

“Second Harvest Food Bank was chosen as that charity with their impressive work highlighted with school backpack programs and school food pantry programs done in Warren County,” Kyler said.

The tournament generated $1,800.

That impressed company and union leaders.

“Local 95’s Union Leadership in Pittsburgh and United Refining Company’s Chief Operating Officer were impressed with this idea and decided to make matching donations to further help this charitable endeavor,” Kyler said.

The matching dollars brought the total contribution to $5,448.

The dollars will stay in Warren County, going specifically to the BackPack Program and food pantries in the schools.

With the federal Community Eligibility Provision, through the U.S. Department of Agriculture, which will provide free breakfasts and lunches to all students in five Warren County School District schools, making sure kids are fed on school days, and the BackPack Program providing food over the weekends, Second Harvest Special Events Coordinator Andrea Velez said students under the cloud of food insecurity will have healthy food available to them seven days a week.

“We are very thankful to receive this donation from the United Refining Company in support of our child feeding programs in Warren County,” Velez said. “More than 4,600 individuals are food insecure within Warren County. An unfortunate reality is that nearly 32 percent of those individuals are children under the age of 18.”

“For many students, their school-provided lunch on Friday is the last meal they will receive until they return for breakfast on Monday,” she said. “The BackPack Program addresses the problem of child hunger by providing children in poverty with nutritious, child-friendly food necessary for overall growth, physical and cognitive development and satisfactory performance in school.”