Whitehall-Coplay Hunger Initiative children’s summer feeding program is continuing to grow with more attendance every week. WCHI has 117 children registered. There are four site locations open 10-11 a.m. every Monday and Wednesday.

Registration is ongoing through Aug. 24 for low-income Whitehall Township and Coplay Borough children through age 18. Parents must register their children before our pre-bagged food can be disbursed.

Program highlights include five shelf-stable breakfasts and five shelf-stable lunches per week, with two on Mondays and three on Wednesdays. There will also be free books for the children all summer, Christmas in July and free filled backpacks for school-age children in August.

For more information, call Sue Butchinski, program chair, at 484-767-6022.

WCHI is proud Second Harvest Food Bank selected us to be one of three healthy food pantries in Lehigh County, which offers healthier low-fat and low-salt products, when possible.

We are also pleased to be doing inside food distributions where our guests select the food items that they will eat. Our guests choose from several food types: canned fruit and vegetables, grains, ready-to-eat food, snacks, coffee/beverages, condiments, refrigerated and frozen foods and toiletries. We also try to provide fresh produce, when available. Our guests have told us they really like our “choice pantry,” compared to our outside pre-bagged food items.

We are thankful we are now doing inside operations just at the right time when food and gas prices started rising. Although these prices are affecting everyone, low-income residents on fixed incomes really need our support. They do not have extra money for food, toiletries, gas and medicine.

We have given out food several times in the last few weeks for people who have nothing to eat. For example, their net income is $800 a month and $500 goes for rent and $300 is left for gas to get to work and food.

No one in America should ever be hungry - but this is a reality in Whitehall and Coplay.

Because of the increased need for food, the WCHI pantry is now open 9:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. and 4:30-7 p.m. the second and third Thursdays. Everyone must have an appointment, so everything can run smoothly and efficiently for pantry operations. No worries, we will not be running out of food.

For more information, call WCHI at 484-225-0358.

I also want to let you know about two USDA Food Security programs called the WIC Farmers Market Nutrition program and the Senior Farmers Market Nutrition program. Both provide WIC recipients and low-income seniors with fresh, nutritious, unprepared, locally grown fruits, vegetables and herbs from approved farmers in Pennsylvania.

For the farmers market program, if you are a WIC participant, you are eligible for $24 worth of vouchers if you are pregnant, breast-feeding and/or postpartum. You are also eligible for $24 worth of vouchers for each child ages 6 months to 5 years. You would receive the benefit during your quarterly WIC visit, and you will be given a list of participating vendors.

Seniors are eligible for vouchers if they are or will be 60 years of age during the program year and have a household income at or below $25,142 for one person in the household or $33,874 for two people in the household. There are higher income limits for more people than two in the household.

Call the Lehigh County Aging office at 610-782-3255 to find out when and where they are distributing the checks/vouchers. In the past, Lehigh County social workers visited senior centers and senior high-rise apartments to distribute the vouchers.

Each eligible recipient receives four $6 senior program checks to redeem at a qualified farmers market or roadside stand. We are fortunate to have a location right in Whitehall - Lazarus Farm Market, 3605 Rural Road, open 9 a.m.-6 p.m. Mondays-Fridays and 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturdays. Lazarus is at the light where the road forks on Mauch Chunk Road and Rural Road, across the street from Fellowship Community. Call 610-799-3831.