Many of the charities in the Lehigh Valley have been joining forces to provide food and clothing for local families hard hit by school closings and job losses during the coronavirus pandemic. Project Hope of Easton, noted for its annual Christmas generosity, has spearheaded a weekly, summer-long program that so far has provided more than 2,000 meals to needy families with children.

When it was brought to the attention of the Project Hope Board of Directors that families needed summer clothing for their children, and the usual outlets were all closed, co-chair Judy Walker said the nonprofit launched a clothing collection.

“Working with the Family Connection, New Bethany Ministries, Easton Neighborhood Center and Ferry Street Apartments, we identified 70 families and their specific needs,” Walker explained.

Bags of age-, gender- and size-specific clothing were designated for each family and were distributed in June in the parking lot at Our Lady of Lebanon Maronite Catholic Church in Easton. Bags of food and toys were also provided.

Joining in the effort was Rayan’s Crayons, which provided a huge bag of goodies for each family, including summer toys, snacks and a new tablet. They also brought a bag of fresh produce for each household. The charity was founded in 2018 by Fazia Khan in memory of her nephew Rayan Khan, who died of an aggressive brain tumor the same year. In the two months before his death, Fazia Khan said the teenager worked with her to donate toys to underprivileged children to give them a better life and help make them happy.

“In two days, Rayan raised $2,200 for refugee children in Allentown, and he was able to hand out toys himself to about 40 kids,” his aunt said.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the Rayan’s Crayons website says, “As much as children are resilient, this crisis has impacted them in adverse ways we may never comprehend. Rayan’s Crayons is stepping up during this time to gift these children the smile they deserve.”