Catasauqua Community Cares Program members and volunteers held a craft and vendor fair fundraiser Nov. 24 at Catasauqua Middle School.

The purpose of C3P is to help Catasauqua Area School District students who have food insecurity issues. School district programs are available for students, but after hours and on weekends, the program steps in to provide food.

The fundraiser at CMS featured 30 crafters and vendors. There was a raffle for a 32-inch smart TV donated by Brosky Insurance and another for four Kalahari Water Park tickets. A crowd estimate was around 200 for the five-hour event.

The event raised over $600 to maintain the program. Lois Reed, who heads up the organization, noted the short-term goal was to have a turkey basket for families to be distributed at Thanksgiving.

The school gymnasium has a new floor, so it had to be covered. Boy Scout Troop 94, from Holy Trinity Memorial Lutheran Church, Catasauqua, handled the protective cover.

C3P is entirely run by volunteers within the schools, district administration and community.

The local program is aimed at students who are on free and reduced lunches and currently assists 150 students in the district. Each weekend, students receive two breakfast items, two lunch items and two snacks.

To keep the program running, the program needs donations to meet the needs of the students. In addition to cash contributions, the group looks for spaghetti sauce, pasta, chicken noodle soup, granola bars, fruit cups and cheese and peanut butter crackers.

Reed noted the Christmas holiday this year will be two weeks long, putting a strain on supplies.

In cooperation with Holy Trinity, the group also distributed 150 coats to kids and adults.