This May, Mental Health America of Southwestern PA hosted its 24th annual Innovations Award ceremony, which honors individuals and organizations advancing mental health across the region. At this year’s event, 412 Food Rescue was proud to receive the Recovery Award.
Mental Health America of Southwestern PA works to foster resilience and support recovery throughout our communities through education, prevention, advocacy, and services focused on mental health and substance abuse.
Our work extends beyond addressing food insecurity. It supports parents caring for their children, older adults living alone, students working to focus on school, and individuals striving each day to maintain recovery and rebuild their lives. Reliable access to food helps reduce the stress and anxiety of not knowing where the next meal will come from. It also sends a powerful message: their neighbors care, and their community is invested in their healing and recovery.
Alyssa Cholodofsky, our Chief Executive Officer, reflected on this connection in her remarks at the celebration: “We see recovery not only as treatment or services, but as creating communities where people have access to the basic needs that allow them to move forward with dignity.”
This award belongs to our incredible staff, our volunteers, our nonprofit partners, and every person who says yes to helping another neighbor in need,” Alyssa added. “And it belongs to the people we serve, whose resilience and strength inspire us every single day.”
We are grateful to Mental Health America of Southwestern PA for recognizing the connection between food access, mental health, and recovery. It is an honor to be acknowledged alongside so many inspiring people and organizations doing essential work in our community.
