Charity begins at home. This is particularly true for a man in Pittsburgh named AJ Owen. He went viral for aiding the community by starting a pantry for people in need. The posts that now have thousands of views come after the delays in SNAP benefits left American families struggling.
A community member from Whitehall has stepped up in the time that the community needs it the most. The man has teamed up with an anonymous person who is helping him execute the heartwarming mission.
“We didn’t have a plan,” AJ Owen can be heard saying in the video. “We spent roughly $150 at Aldi and stocked up on things on that first day,” he shared. AJ and his children came together to set up the community pantry on their front lawn.
Owen shared how, within nine days, the stock was almost all cleaned up. “I would say 70% of that food was gone,” he recalled. The same has repeated every time he has restocked the pantry.
In the videos, the man showed how the KDKA bins stocked up on Monday night were close to being empty on the next morning. The empty bins underscored the urgency of the situation. “When we started this, benefits had not been cut off and people were already in need,” Owen said in reference to the disruption in Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits.
The Pittsburgh resident noted that this points to the harsh reality of the state of the country. The man also shared a positive update regarding the pantry. What he was doing resonated with so many people that even they stepped up to contribute in any way they could.
ABC News
A man in Pittsburgh has gone viral after working to fight food insecurity amid SNAP benefit cuts by setting up a food pantry in his own front yard. pic.twitter.com/zZo9k9ByxY
— Constitution Sue (@constitutionsue) November 5, 2025
“People have donated totes, people have donated food, people have donated money,” he shared. Jenna Mocello, who is a resident of Pleasant Hills, shared how she and her daughter felt the need to help Owen out with the initiative.
“We gave teething snacks, yogurt bites, pouches, cereal,” Mocello shared. As helpful as any donation is, Owen pointed out how one specific donation did a lot of good for the pantry, and it came from an anonymous donor, as reported by CBS News.
“I flipped open my mailbox to see a card envelope taped shut,” he recalled. The man shared how, upon opening the envelope, he found thousands of dollars in cash. “It just said, ‘May God prosper and bless your food bank,'” he revealed.
Owen noted that the enormous donation made him emotional. He could not believe that somebody had actually stepped up to help and donated the amount. He shared how he took his kids to Costco to restock the pantry again, and the family also restocked diapers this time around.
Their restocking run also included formula, protein drinks, vegetables, noodles, pasta sauce, and other essentials. Mocello shared how, by looking at Owen, she was inspired to instill important values in her own daughter.
“By him doing this, I’m able to show mine how to do that as well,” she shared. Owen, who embarked on the journey alone and was joined by many other community members, plans on continuing to keep up the good work.
“People deserve food, people deserve to be fed,” he told CBS News. He shared that the pantry will always be stocked as long as there is a need in the community.
