In the face of the challenges 2020 presented, many organizations and community members stepped up to answer the needs of their community or continued their crucial work to create healthy neighborhoods across the region. More than ever, 2020 was the time to honor their dedication to Pittsburgh communities and the well-being of the residents they call neighbors.

In 2020, our flagship celebration looked a little different, but we recognized the need to sustain our tradition of honoring those whose daily work contributes to the growth of healthy neighborhoods. In lieu of an in-person gathering and award ceremony, we directed our attention towards celebrating those individuals most dedicated to enacting the important, ground-level work that makes our communities stronger. In light of the year’s unique circumstances, we also presented the 2020 Impact Award, designed to celebrate an organization which has made a significant community impact through direct COVID-19 relief efforts (providing food or resources to neighbors), or by addressing ongoing issues of injustice and racism against the Black community.

2020 Impact Awardee

Founded in 2015, the EAT Initiative was birthed out of Chef Claudy Pierre’s vision to help feed and sustain food insecure communities. Since then, EAT’s primary focus has been to inject cultural competency and food education into communities in Pittsburgh and around the world.Upon immediately learning about the shutdown, and before most larger organizations had an organized plan, Chef Claudy and his team launched into go mode and cooked and provided 15,000 meals to residents in the Northside, Hill District, East Liberty, Southside, and beyond in the first months of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Community Ownership Awardee

As active, contributing members of Neighborhood Allies’ Grassroots Grantmaking Committee (GGC), Martel Hedge and Kevin Alton have gone above and beyond in their roles, volunteering 4+ hours every week throughout April-June to interview residents seeking a Love My Neighbor! Grant in addition to spearheading their own initiative to hand out meals to children and senior citizens in their South Hilltop communities during COVID-19. In addition, Kevin and Martel both run their own successful youth-focused organizations in the Hilltop.

Quality of Life Awardee

Community Empowerment Association (CEA) was founded in 1993 in order to establish an organized, structural approach to address the specific needs of at-risk youth and families in distressed, marginalized communities. Their mission is to restore, reclaim and transform distressed communities through strategic planning, collaboration, advocacy, education, and training. When COVID-19 hit, CEA Founder and CEO Rashad Byrdsong started the “Food First Program” – a bi-weekly emergency food distribution. While Mr. Byrdsong was responding to the crisis, the work he was doing was not new; He was simply helping to feed the community that he has served in many ways for over 25 years.

Equitable Development Awardee

For the past 50 years, the Hill District Federal Credit Union (HDFCU) has been assisting those who live, work and worship in the Hill District to build credit and savings through innovative products and services, helping them to overcome financial barriers and meet life goals such as buying a house and going to college. Not just a financial institution, HDFCU is the only African American owned and operated financial institution in the tri-state area and provides access to credit-builder loans and emergency loans for nonprofit workers impacted by COVID-19. When you join the Hill District Federal Credit Union, you become part of a member-owned organization built on the philosophy of people with a common bond, helping each other.