This story was originally published in the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review

Another free shuttle service is being launched to help give New Kensington residents in the city’s downtown “food desert” access to groceries.

Wesley Family Services, the New Ken Downtown Partnership and Westmoreland Community Action are partnering in the pilot transportation program, which will start Monday, April 10.

The Fresh Food Shuttle will run from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. every Monday, Wednesday and Friday.

A van will pick up residents at Kensington Arms, Pioneer Apartments and Parnassus Manor. They’ll be taken to the Golden Dawn and Aldi in New Kensington and the Walmart and Aldi in Frazer.

The program is starting with offering the service to residents of those high-rises, with the hope of expanding in the future.

“Everyone deserves access to healthy food options,” said Michelle Thom, president of the New Ken Downtown Partnership. “Communities around the New Kensington area have limited options to purchase healthy, nutritious meals. Often, members of this community will have to walk, ride the bus and travel long distances to purchase basic items. We are proud to offer this shuttle as a way to help community members meet their needs.”

The van will have room for seven to eight people. Riders must be 18 or older and can bring up to four bags.

There will be a schedule of four trips a day, made in one-hour increments.

Pickups can be scheduled by calling 724-895-8270.

Funding for the shuttle is coming from Westmoreland Community Action to be spent in New Kensington, while funds from an anonymous donor will allow it to eventually service Arnold.

Thom said officials plan to be flexible with pickup locations and destinations to accommodate residents’ needs.

“We encourage everyone who has a need to take advantage of this service, and we are excited and honored to be able to provide a small solution to the ‘food desert’ in downtown New Kensington,” Thom said.

The shuttle will join a grocery shopping program sponsored by Harrison-based Allegheny-Kiski Health Foundation, that provides a free grocery bus twice a month, generally on Wednesdays, in New Kensington and Arnold. It picks up people at Kensington Manor, Arnold Towers, Citizens Plaza and Parnassus Manor and takes them to Walmart and Aldi in Frazer.

But that service, which began in 2021, is full with its regulars and can’t accommodate additional riders, said John Pastorek, the foundation’s president and CEO.

Having another shuttle running will be helpful, he said.

“We don’t have room to add more people.”