I have never had the circumstance of being hungry and having nothing to eat. My family, which includes my husband, our son, myself and our dog, has been fortunate in the fact that we always have money to buy food to fill our freezer, refrigerator and pantry and neither myself nor my husband have lost our jobs.

But that is not the case for many.

In the United States, “more than 35 million people in the United States experienced hunger in 2019,” according to feedingamerica.org.

Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, that number is higher - more than 42 million is estimated, with a possible 13 million children.

“In Pennsylvania, 1,353,730 people are facing hunger, and of them, 383,520 are children. One in nine people face hunger. One in seven children face hunger,” the feedingamerica.org website states.

June is National Hunger Awareness Month, so now is the perfect time to mark this awareness month and donate food items to your local food bank or volunteer at other community projects that fight hunger.

Many food banks and groups in the Lehigh Valley and beyond are doing a great job providing perishable and nonperishable food, personal items and meals to those in need. Some local food banks include Whitehall Food Pantry, Whitehall-Coplay Hunger Initiative, Coplay Food Bank, Northampton Area Food Bank, Bath Area Food Bank and Catasauqua Community Food Bank.

Other organizations, churches, schools and small groups, such as Christ’s Church at Lowhill Food Pantry, Parkland C.A.R.E.S., East Penn Food Coalition and more, also pull together to provide much-needed assistance to community members.

I will never forget the first time I met with Shari Noctor, president of Whitehall-Coplay Hunger Initiative. I was doing a story on a garden project she was helping with at one of the Whitehall-Coplay School District elementary schools.

In explaining why she organizes and contributes so much of her time and resources to hunger and food projects, she said, “No one should go hungry.”

It is a very simple statement, but one that has continued to make an impact on me to this day. That message and mission are what I am teaching my son as he continues to grow and mature.

These boards, organizers and volunteers are truly making a difference in people’s lives. Thank you.

On a larger scale, food resources in Pennsylvania include Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), on.pa.gov/3d03Zq3; Summer Food Service Program, fns.usda.gov/meals4kids; Women, Infants and Children Program (WIC), pawic.com; Senior Food Box Program, on.pa.gov/3i0PVTk; Feeding PA, feedingpa.org; Hunger-Free PA, hungerfreepa.org; and food banks, on.pa.gov/3ct4k4K.

If you need help feeding yourself or your family, don’t hesitate to reach out. Assistance is here.

Stacey A. Koch

editorial assistant

Whitehall-Coplay Press

Northampton Press

Catasauqua Press