Patricia Karo and I wrote a $35,000 grant request for a Lehigh County 2021 Community Development Block Grant CV-2 program, which had funds available for food security. We asked for money for our children’s summer feeding program, which will help low-income children in Whitehall and Coplay.

Lehigh County Board of Commissioners approved Whitehall-Coplay Hunger Initiative for the $35,000 grant. The funds will be released once Lehigh County Executive Phillips Armstrong and I sign the required contract and must go strictly for the budgeted items requested. This paperwork does take time.

The monetary resources will go toward the food purchases of the items requested on our website, whitehallcoplayhungerinitiative.org/childrens-summer-feeding-program.html; toiletries not on our site, including soap, sanitary napkins and deodorant; much-needed shelving for this large project; and marketing materials, including mailers, fliers and small corrugated signs.

We also hope local Whitehall and Coplay businesses and faith-based organizations near our summer drop-off locations will post our fliers in their windows and help us get the information out to the community. We just want the word out there that we are here to help, and we appreciate any way you can assist us.

You can volunteer and help us with this program. A public meeting will be held 6 p.m. May 6 at our pantry at St. John the Baptist Church, in the Christ the King School cafeteria, 3024 S. Ruch St., Whitehall. Please park behind the church down by the school.

The summer feeding program is set to run 10-11 a.m. Mondays and Wednesdays June 16-Aug. 25. We have decided on six drop-and-go locations. Locations include South Church and Park streets, Egypt; Third and Leisenring streets, Cementon; Coplay and Second streets, Coplay; St. John’s Lutheran Church, 835 S. Third St., Fullerton; Maryland Circle, Whitehall; and Mickley Run Apartments, Whitehall, in the upper parking lot. The Maryland Circle location can also serve Parkview and Willow Crest apartments children. The Mickley Run location can also serve Olympic Gardens and Spring Ridge apartments children.

Each site will have teams of four to six approved WCHI volunteers. Every volunteer must have child abuse clearances as outlined on our website, whitehallcoplayhungerinitiative.org/volunteer-forms.html.

We have several volunteers already committed to assisting with this program, including members of the Whitehall Area Rotary Club. We can use several more. Volunteers do not have to work every distribution day - unless they want to. To volunteer, go to whitehallcoplayhungerinitiative.org/volunteer-signup.html.

Our goal is to feed as many local youths as we can, from toddlers through age 18. We know the need is there and want participation from both the children attending and the volunteers registering the households and handing out the food.

Currently, USDA has given money for low-income households based on children in school and how many days the children were physically in school and in virtual learning. Pennsylvania was also approved for the pandemic EBT for child care for children ages 5 and under. Both of these benefits will run through the month of May and will be distributed in three stages - early May, early June and mid-July.

The amount of funds given was based on the income level and number of school-age children in the household. This money will be deposited automatically on your current P-EBT cards, which are in the form of SNAP benefits, also known as food stamps. This money must be used within nine months, or it is lost. We strongly encourage our Whitehall and Coplay households with children who are receiving the EBT benefits to attend our children’s summer feeding program for a drop-and-go bag for every child in your household and to attend our food pantry distributions, planned for 11 a.m.-1 p.m. and 5:30-7 p.m. the second Thursday of every month at St. John the Baptist Church. The next distribution is scheduled May 13. Income limits do apply, and identification is required at the pantry.

We want your household to take advantage of the food we offer to supplement the money you can spend at the store for food on your EBT cards. Our food is mainly shelf stable, and most will last more than nine months.

Please contact me with any questions. Have a great week!