COOPER: Food banks across the U.S. are feeling the impact of the coronavirus pandemic, many are struggling to deal with demand. There's been a 40 percent increase, some food banks are so overwhelmed they've set up drive-thru line. But in cities like Pittsburgh, the lines have been over a mile long. Lisa Scales is the CEO and president of the food bank. She jones me now. Lisa, you've had so many families coming for donations, you actually had to turn people away at times. How do you meet the demand? Are you afraid, frankly of running out of food?</s>LISA SCALES, PRESIDENT & CEO, GREATER PITTSBURGH COMMUNITY FOOD BANK: Good afternoon, Anderson. We are afraid, and eventually we might run out of food. Right now, our supply is strong, but we have seen a significant increase in demand in just the past two weeks.</s>COOPER: Where do you get your food from? And your staff, are they still coming to work?</s>SCALES: Most of our staff is still working. We do have several staff who have to be home for a variety of reasons, but most of our staff is still here at our food bank facility in Duquesne. We get food from a number of sources. There's food from the federal government. Also, we have purchased items and received donations. Most of the food we are distributing now, through our new drive-up distributions. It's shelf-stable food in emergency good boxes: Peanut butter, canned tuna fish, pasta, canned goods and vegetables. And most of that food is purchased.</s>COOPER: I know your food bank volunteered after the 9/11 and Katrina. The fare and anxiety you're seeing, how does it compare to what you have seen in the past?</s>SCALES: It's similar. It harkens back to me to the work I did in Louisiana after Hurricane Katrina. I was there three weeks, helping to direct food and volunteers where it was needed most.
Pittsburgh Food Bank CEO & President, Lisa Scales, Discusses Food Banks Struggling As Demand Explodes Amid Layoffs.