PIT Donates Lost and Found Items to Local Charities Ahead of Annual Auction
Area residents in need benefit from left-behind medical equipment and clothing
By Daniel Lagiovane
Published July 6, 2026
Read Time: 3 mins
Pittsburgh International Airport is giving new life to thousands of unclaimed home medical equipment and clothing items from its Lost and Found service by donating them to two local charitable organizations.
Rather than discarding the items after the standard holding period, airport staff has sorted and prepared the clothing for donation, ensuring the items were clean, usable and suitable for redistribution.
The effort reflects a broader commitment to sustainability and community partnership — reducing waste while helping local families facing hardship, said Elise Gomez, director of Landside Operations and Customer Experience at Allegheny County Airport Authority. Lost and Found inventories at major airports often include a wide range of usable goods.
On July 1, PIT donated 60 pieces of left-behind medical equipment to Global Links, including wheelchairs, rollator walkers and canes that passengers left behind and never reclaimed.
Global Links, which PIT has partnered with since 2017, is a Pittsburgh-based nonprofit dedicated to rescuing surplus medical supplies. The organization builds partnerships with nonprofit and charitable healthcare providers and distributes medical surplus, helping low-income older adults in western Pennsylvania, from Pittsburgh to Erie, who are unable to afford the equipment.
“Global Links was founded in Pittsburgh and is built on partnerships,” said Meagan Sotirokos, Global Links’ manager of Surplus Procurement and Purchasing. “We are proud to be partners with PIT.”
Sotirokos cited an example of who medical equipment “rescued” from PIT impacts: “A gentleman needed a wheelchair after a fall from a three-story balcony,” she said. “Months later, he returned to trade his wheelchair in for a walker and told her he’s ‘been blessed,’ reflecting on his journey of healing and regaining strength. He brought back the wheelchair he no longer needed, hoping it could be passed on to someone else.”
Volunteer Ambassadors and PIT staff organize items on June 16, 2026, in preparation for the airport’s annual auction later this year. (Photo by Beth Hollerich)
On July 7, PIT will donate 57 boxes of clothing to Circles of Pittsburgh, an anti-poverty organization that connects low-income individuals with middle- and upper-income volunteers to build financial skills, find employment and achieve economic stability.
The donation includes coats, shirts, pants, winter jackets, scarves, hats, gloves and shoes that were turned into PIT’s Lost and Found service and never claimed.
PIT works hard to reunite passengers with their belongings. In 2025, PIT launched a new digital self-service Lost and Found platform, giving travelers the ability to submit claims, track their belongings in real time and receive automated updates 24 hours a day, seven days a week — all part of PIT’s “We Got You” initiative to make travel easier and less stressful.
Lost and Found items are available for return to their rightful owners for 30 days. If the item is not claimed or a return is not completed during that period, the item becomes property of ACAA and is either donated to local charities or auctioned.
In addition to the home medical equipment and clothing donations, PIT is preparing for its yearly auction of left-behind items — which will be online only again this year.
Joe R. Pyle’s Complete Auctions and Reality Services will again run the online auction, the date for which has yet to be announced. Details on bidding dates, item previews and registration will be posted ahead of the auction launch. The online auction will be open to the public, allowing anyone — from collectors to curious bargain hunters — to browse and place bids on items once carried through Pittsburgh International Airport.
Items to be auctioned off will include abandoned vehicles, jewelry, electronics, sporting goods, strollers and airport maintenance equipment, such as:
- Two Rolex watches, including a Rolex Datejust wristwatch
- Windone Folding Electric Bicycle, which is a black, compact folding commuter e-bike with a rear-mounted battery, integrated front light, rear cargo rack, disc brakes and 20-inch wheels
- Casio premium all-metal luxury G-SHOCK watch
- Handcrafted Sabika necklace with white stones
- Logitech keyboard
PIT is finalizing the list of 21 vehicles and equipment that will be included in the auction.
