June is here. It is a great time for enjoying really long days, warm weather, barbecues, flower and vegetable gardens, vacations and relaxation.

June through August will be a very busy time for the Whitehall-Coplay Hunger Initiative.

The next food pantry distributions are planned for 11 a.m.-1 p.m. and 5:30-7 p.m. June 10, July 8 and Aug. 12 at St. John the Baptist Church parking lot, 3024 S. Ruch St.

Encourage your family, friends, neighbors and co-workers who live in Whitehall and Coplay to attend. Income limits apply, and proof of residency is required.

WCHI garden volunteers Anne and Erik are growing fresh vegetables for our distributions. While walking on the Ironton Rail Trail between Center and Lehigh streets, say hello to them as you go by.

Our new children’s summer feeding program debuts 10-11 a.m. June 16 to help alleviate childhood hunger for low- to moderate-income households.

Many children rely on the free and reduced-rate breakfast and lunch during the school year. Our program will provide a bag of food for each child in the household, toddlers through age 18, while food supplies last.

Distribution sites are Redeemed Christian Church of God, 5 N. Third St., Coplay; the Maryland Circle school bus stop, Whitehall; the Mickley Run Apartment parking lot by building 350 off Overlook Road, Whitehall; the Park and Church streets school bus stop or in the Egypt Community Church social hall parking lot, Whitehall; St. John’s Evangelical Lutheran Church, 835 N. Third St., Whitehall; and the Third and Leisenring streets school bus stop, Whitehall.

Income limits apply, and proof of residency is required. The parent/guardian needs to register the household children. We have some federal funding for this program and must adhere to funding requirements. These rules are similar to other children’s summer feeding programs throughout the Lehigh Valley.

We are in need of volunteers to help with the summer program Monday and Wednesday mornings and to pack the bags of food. The packing times vary.

This is a big endeavor to help at least 500 children in Whitehall and Coplay twice a week for 10 weeks. You do not need to volunteer every day, and we do provide an online volunteer schedule system.

Student and special need volunteers are also welcome to help load our cars 9-9:30 a.m. at the pantry, help distribute food bags at the locations 10-11 a.m. and help unload any unused bags of food back at the pantry 11:15-11:45 a.m. Many hands make this program easy and fun.

There are required clearances for all volunteers. Go to tinyurl.com/WCHIvolunteer.

We greatly appreciate all our volunteers, our very generous monetary and food product donors and Second Harvest Food Bank. We could not do any of our programs without your continued support!

Food requests include regular-sized cereal boxes, 24-pack diced peach cups, 24-pack Mandarin orange cups, 24-pack Jumex tropical punch, 24-pack Apple & Eve apple juice and 36-pack Nutri Grain variety pack bars.

All monetary and food donations are appreciated and may be shipped or dropped off at Re/Max Unlimited Real Estate, 1080 Schadt Ave., Whitehall, 18052.

Leave food donations inside the foyer 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Mondays-Fridays, 9 a.m.-1 p.m. Saturdays and 10 a.m.-1 p.m. Sundays.

For monetary donations, write children’s summer feeding program or CSFP in the memo section.

Thank you, and have a great week!