It started last summer, when the Emmaus Rotary Club, Kiwanis Club and Emmaus Lioness Lions Club worked together with the East Penn School District to support a lunch and reading program at Lincoln Elementary School. The plan still is to expand the program for this summer working with the community organizations.

The Emmaus Rotary has once again answered the need of the East Penn School District community by expanding its weekend food program.

Last year, Rotary International provided a grant to the Emmaus Rotary Club and donations totaled $17,000 for this program to provide food for the weekend for 34 students in the district. This money would have covered this program for the year.

With the recent school closures, Immediate Past President Emmaus Rotary Club Rick Zayaitz received a call from the school district asking if the program could be expanded to 224 students, including 24 homeless families.

Zayaitz said of course the Emmaus Rotary Club would help.

Enlisting the help of Bethel Bible Fellowship Church, Second Harvest Food Bank and the Angel Network in the district, the program has been implemented.

Each week the food provided is different, normally including fruit, vegetables, protein, some fruit juice, milk and sometimes additional items like cereal and peanut butter. Rotary volunteers have stepped up each week to prepare food packs on Thursdays at Bethel Bible Fellowship Church.

Zayaitz said the Emmaus Rotary Club would not have been able to say yes without its community partners.

Bethel Bible Church immediately opened the kitchen at the church for the club members to assemble the packs of food. Bethel also orders the food for its food pantry.

Any local citizens can also utilize the Groceries Plus program at the Bethel Food Pantry, 418 Elm St., Emmaus, by calling for an appointment at 610-965-2682.

Weis Markets has been generous in offering the food at a wholesale cost for the Emmaus Rotary Club.

St. Ann School students held a cereal drive recently and collected 279 boxes of cereal.

Ai Orthodontics donated 500 toothbrushes and toothpaste to be included in the packs.

Each week, the Emmaus Rotary Club receives a count of how many packs are needed from school district guidance counselors.

Rotary club volunteers then drive the packs to three different locations so they are available for pickup when the families come for their normal food distribution.

“We have no idea who receives these packs of food and we don’t need to know,” Zayaitz said. “We just wanted to help.”

As the school district closure continues, more money will be needed to sustain the program. Zayaitz said the program costs approximately $2,100 per week.

Zayaitz said he is thankful for the donations the club has received so far, even receiving a check recently for $2,550.

For those interested in helping their community Rotary club with this program, donations are greatly appreciated.

Checks should be made out to Emmaus Rotary Club Foundation, a 501c(3) organization, and sent to Zayaitz at 7739 Racite Road, Macungie, 18062. For more information, call 484-357-5780.