PAYMENT WILL ROLL OUT. BUT FIRST PITTSBURGH’S ACTION NEWS FOUR REPORTER JORDAN CIOPPA MEETING A LOCAL FAMILY GOING VIRAL FOR THEIR EFFORTS TO FEED NEIGHBORS. SHE JOINS US FROM WHITEHALL, ALLEGHENY COUNTY. AJ OWEN AND HIS SONS ARE TURNING THEIR FRONT YARD INTO A FOOD PANTRY. BOXES OF FOOD, CANNED GOODS AND HYGIENE PRODUCTS ARE AVAILABLE IN THESE BINS FOR ANYONE NEEDING SOME EXTRA HELP. AND NOW THIS MISSION. THEY STARTED JUST OVER A WEEK AGO, IS REACHING MILLIONS OF PEOPLE ON SOCIAL MEDIA. PEOPLE WANT TO HELP. IF YOU GIVE THEM AN OPPORTUNITY TO HELP, THEY WILL HELP. AJ OWENS FRONT YARD TURNED FOOD PANTRY IS PROOF OF THAT. WE STARTED WITH WITH ONE TOE AND TWO HAND COOLERS AND NOW I’VE GOT PEOPLE ASSOCIATED WITH THE STEELERS REACHING OUT AND COMING BY TOMORROW TO TO DONATE. LAST SUNDAY, OWEN AND HIS SEVEN AND NINE YEAR OLD SONS DECIDED THEY WANTED TO HELP PEOPLE USING SNAP BENEFITS BY MAKING FREE FOOD AVAILABLE IN FRONT OF THEIR WHITEHALL HOME. BY THE NEXT MORNING, WE HAD EVERYTHING OUT. ABOUT 70% OF IT WAS GONE. HE POSTED IN LOCAL FACEBOOK GROUPS TO SPREAD THE WORD. COME SATURDAY, OWEN WALKED OUTSIDE TO THE UNEXPECTED. I JUST LOOKED AT MY MAILBOX. ARE YOU KIDDING ME? INSIDE THE CARD, THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS IN CASH. OWEN POSTED ABOUT THE ANONYMOUS DONATION IN A NOW VIRAL TIKTOK VIDEO. MORE THAN 12 MILLION VIEWS AND 3 MILLION LIKES LATER, HIS MISSION IS SPREADING TO PEOPLE ACROSS THE COUNTRY. SO MANY PEOPLE HAVE TAGGED ME IN THEIR VIDEOS AND THEIR PHOTOS SAYING, HEY, YOU INSPIRED ME, AND HERE’S WHAT WE’VE DONE IN OUR STATE, IN OUR CITY, AND HERE AT HOME. I SAW IT ON TIKTOK, AND I JUST WAS VERY MOVED THAT HE WAS ABLE TO START SOMETHING SO SMALL, AND THEN IT BECAME THIS BIG COMMUNITY EVENT. FOR RIGHT NOW, I’M JUST GONNA HAVE YOU PUT EVERYTHING IN HERE. WE GOT SOME BREAKFAST GOODS, SOME PANCAKE MIX, SIRUP. WE GOT A LOT OF PASTA. THOSE DONATIONS ADDED TO THE EVER GROWING FRONT YARD FOOD PANTRY. WHEN IT COMES TO THE MONEY IN THE MAILBOX, OWEN HAS ALREADY PUT THE FIRST $700 OF IT TO GOOD USE. THE PERSON WHO DROPPED OFF THE ENVELOPE, FULL OF CASH. I’M SURE I’LL NEVER KNOW WHO THEY ARE. AND NO MATTER WHAT YOU BELIEVE, I THINK THAT’S A THAT’S A REAL LIFE ANGEL. THE FOOD PANTRY IS OPEN 24 OVER SEVEN AND IS LOCATED IN WHITEHALL, BEHIND THE CASSIE VILLAGE SHOPPING CENTER. COVERING ALL
Pittsburgh-area dad surprised with Super Bowl tickets by Steelers as thank you for helping community
A Pittsburgh-area dad was given a special gift from the Pittsburgh Steelers as a “thank you” for his efforts to help fight against hunger in the community.
Updated: 9:28 PM EST Jan 4, 2026
A Pittsburgh-area dad was given a special gift from the Pittsburgh Steelers as a “thank you” for his efforts to help fight against hunger in the community. RELATED: Whitehall dad going viral after mystery donation to front yard food pantry, 2025In a video posted by the Steelers, defensive end Yahya Black surprised AJ Owen, of Whitehall, with tickets to the Super Bowl. Owen, alongside his sons last year, wanted to help people losing Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits, doing so by making free food available in the front yard of their Whitehall home.”By the next morning, we had everything out, about 70% of it was gone,” Owen told Pittsburgh’s Action News 4 back in November. “That told us immediately there’s a need for this in our area, which is one, we’re so grateful to be able to help, two, so sad that so many people do need this assistance.”Owen posted about the food pantry on TikTok, which reached millions of views from all around the world. Yahya Black & his wife dropped off a large load of food for the Owen family to add to their drive at the time. On Sunday, Yahya surprised Owen with the tickets, thanking him for all he did to give back to the community.
WHITEHALL, Pa. —
A Pittsburgh-area dad was given a special gift from the Pittsburgh Steelers as a “thank you” for his efforts to help fight against hunger in the community.
RELATED: Whitehall dad going viral after mystery donation to front yard food pantry, 2025
In a video posted by the Steelers, defensive end Yahya Black surprised AJ Owen, of Whitehall, with tickets to the Super Bowl.
Owen, alongside his sons last year, wanted to help people losing Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits, doing so by making free food available in the front yard of their Whitehall home.
“By the next morning, we had everything out, about 70% of it was gone,” Owen told Pittsburgh’s Action News 4 back in November. “That told us immediately there’s a need for this in our area, which is one, we’re so grateful to be able to help, two, so sad that so many people do need this assistance.”
Owen posted about the food pantry on TikTok, which reached millions of views from all around the world.
Yahya Black & his wife dropped off a large load of food for the Owen family to add to their drive at the time.
On Sunday, Yahya surprised Owen with the tickets, thanking him for all he did to give back to the community.