Ice cream parlors often offer a radiant atmosphere complete with nostalgic fluorescent signs and rows of delicious flavors, but just like any food establishment, the COVID-19 pandemic affected shops serving up the classic dessert.

Georgia Petropolis, the executive director of the Oakland Business Improvement District, started the Shop2Help Oakland program in October to help local businesses and the Greater Pittsburgh Food Bank.

The warm summer sun beat down this week as business owners across Oakland opened their doors for a day mostly like any other day. The only difference was a conspicuous lack of their main customers —...