Let's Talk: Bingo Night

This month our regular Let’s Talk event was in-person and social: residents gathered for a communal potluck meal and bingo at the Oakland Affordable Living community room on Wadsworth Street. Potluck delicacies included mac and cheese, shepherd’s pie, and cheesy potatoes. The evening was full of fun, and community members enjoyed conversation and forging new connections.

Long-time Oakland resident and community advocate Liz Bennett was the bingo caller for the evening. Winners received gift cards to Oakland restaurants -but it was clear that the real treasures of the night were the new friendships forged over dinner and play.

Are you a business owner who wants to donate prizes for the next community bingo? If so, please reach out to OPDC’s Social Worker, David Friedman, at 412-621-7863x123 or dfriedman@opdc.org.

Thank you to our Garbage Olympians!

On Saturday, September 23, OPDC fielded a Central Oakland team for the Garbage Olympics, Pittsburgh’s yearly citywide trash-collecting competition. Our 72 volunteers put in a Herculean effort, collecting 116 bags of trash, a bike frame, and tire.

If the Garbage Olympics awakened a love for litter-collection, make sure to sign up for Adopt-a-Block. Thanks to everyone who took part—we’ll see you next year!

Students: Get volunteer hours with Adopt-a-Block!

What is it?

Adopt-a-Block is a fun way to get volunteer hours with your friends while cleaning up your neighborhood. Teams of students “adopt” a route in Oakland and organize clean-up events throughout the year. Adopt-a-Block is a program of OPDC.

How does it work?

Team captains reach out to OPDC to schedule a clean-up event. Prior to the event, the team captain comes to OPDC to get supplies like trash bags and gloves. Volunteers sign a liability release form that helps us to track participation. At the end of the clean-up, teams leave their trash in a designated location so the Department of Public Works can collect it.

How can I get involved?

Adopt-a-Block is popular with student organizations at Pitt. However, we can also pair individuals with pre-existing groups. Reach out to cgreaser@opdc.org to learn more.

Meet Caroline

Hi, my name is Caroline Greaser. I’m a recent graduate of Goshen College and a PULSE Fellow this year with OPDC. Adopt-a-Block teams will coordinate their clean-ups with me and I will track all of your volunteer hours. Let me know if you have any questions. I look forward to working with you!

Big Bus Route Changes: 61D, 71A, 71C, 71D

Beginning Sunday, October 1, routes 61D, 71A, 71C, and 71D will end their inbound trips in Oakland and will no longer serve Uptown and Downtown. These routes will have “Short” added to their route names and head signs.  

These changes are part of Pittsburgh Regional Transit’s University Line bus rapid transit project, and are designed to provide smoother service and less traffic congestion. 

To support these changes, PRT will add service on routes 82, 87, and the P7, each of which share portions of their service areas with the shortened routes. 

Construction on the first phase of the University Line will begin in downtown Pittsburgh this fall.