The importance and need of a well-supported food bank really hit home for many GBU members when the evening news showed those in need waiting to get much-needed support in a line of cars that stretched for miles. GBU Life reached out to the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank to begin a partnership of support for the food bank’s Grow, Share, Thrive campaign. This campaign supports the expansion of the food bank’s warehouse facility in Duquesne which will house a community pantry that will test new ideas, provide training for partners and connect those who need food to more resources. The campaign also allows the food bank to extend its network of partners to include organizations that serve individuals who do not go to a traditional food pantry.
Pittsburgh is fortunate to have one of the top research institutes in the world dedicated to improving the health and well-being of women. Magee’s research “spans a woman’s lifetime, from the first 9 months to 90-plus years.” GBU Life is proud to be in a partnership with Magee Women’s Research Institute. Through donations, fundraising support and educational information sharing, GBU can help highlight research that is enhancing the lives of not only women in the local community but throughout the world.
GBU Life started its Operation Reach Out program in 2007 with members getting together in Pittsburgh to put together care packages for deployed US military men and women. Soon, the number of members who wanted to help and contribute outweighed the ability to find enough military service members to reach. In 2019, GBU teamed up with Operation Troop Appreciation, a 100% volunteer, Pittsburgh-based non-profit whose mission is “to build and sustain the morale and well-being of the military community, past and present, with the assurance that the American public supports and appreciates their selfless service and daily sacrifice.“
This partnership allowed GBU members to prepare and ship 5,000 care packages to deployed service members that year. When the pandemic derailed the ability to get together to pack boxes, the program changed to one of direct support for Operation Troop Appreciation. Support from Operation Reach Out funds and donations helped more than 7,000 military service members and veterans get needed and wished-for items and supplies to continue to build morale. Our membership is proud to be able to show their support to both our military and veterans in this way.
The Children's Hospital Free Care Fund is the very definition of fraternalism. This fund helps families from around the world to receive care at the renowned Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh. Families who may not be able to otherwise afford life-saving surgeries and treatments are supported by this fund. This year, GBU Life sponsored the 2022 Ultimate House Pittsburgh project which has raised more than$330,000 for the fund. GBU also matched funds donated during the 4 o'clock hour of this year's Free Care Fund Benefit Show and teamed up with the Fraternal Societies of Greater Pittsburgh to raise additional donations. We are proud to have one of the nation's best Children's medical facilities right here in our neighborhood and hope to help ensure that more families are assisted in receiving needed care from Children's Hospital through the Free Care Fund.