Whitehall-Coplay Hunger Initiative has come a long way from August 2014 when I first attended a Communities That Care meeting and became the chairwoman to address hunger in Whitehall Township and Coplay Borough.

Even today, many residents do not realize that Whitehall and Coplay still have many food-insecure adults, children and seniors. It would be wonderful if everyone had food in their homes, but I know not everyone does. If you know a family member, neighbor or friend, or if you need food, WCHI is here to help.

In October 2015, a separate division of the CTC was established - WCHI. Partnering with local faith-based organizations, WCHI began providing free community meals the third Tuesday of each month for community residents who would benefit from socialization and nutrition.

WCHI has now expanded to include two free meals a month. All are welcome to attend meals 4-6:30 p.m. the first Sunday and third Tuesday of the month. Meals are guaranteed for the first 100 guests. WCHI will post site requirements on Facebook for each meal a couple days before. The next meal will be Aug. 7 at Muslim Association of the Lehigh Valley, 1988 Schadt Ave., Whitehall. Call Karen at 610-730-3184 with any questions.

WCHI broke away from Communities That Care and became a separate entity in 2016. WCHI strongly believes in CTC and still has representation at its meetings.

In 2017, WCHI secured a 501(c)3 tax status. WCHI also provided a 10-week free summer breakfast camp for food-insecure school-age children at St. John’s Evangelical Lutheran Church, Whitehall, and at Redeemed Christian Church of God, Coplay.

In 2018, additional summer breakfast camps were added.

Currently, we do a children’s summer feeding program for Whitehall and Coplay residents ages 18 and younger 10-11 a.m. every Monday and Wednesday at four locations - St. John’s Evangelical Lutheran, Mickley Run Apartments, Maryland Circle and Redeemed Christian Church of God. Bagged food is provided both days. Registration is required. This program ends Aug. 24. Call Sue at 484-767-6022 with any questions.

In 2020, WCHI started a vegetable garden at the Mickley-Prydun Farm. Look for more on our garden in a future column.

In 2020, COVID-19 closed everything down. WCHI quickly created a community outreach program that provided food to children, adults and seniors residing in Whitehall and Coplay. WCHI opened two locations at St. John’s Evangelical and Redeemed Christian Church. We provided prebagged food for each household every other Thursday from March through October 2020 until daylight saving time forced us to close evening operations for the safety for our guests and volunteers.

We needed to find a permanent pantry location and started searching in the late spring of 2020. We wanted to be in the middle of Whitehall and close to Coplay. In the meantime, Jeff Warren, a Whitehall Township commissioner, told me about a CARES grant application available through Lehigh County. We applied for this grant in anticipation of finding a location. We were able to secure a pantry location, thanks to St. John the Baptist Catholic Church, in its former Christ the King School, 3024 S. Ruch St., Whitehall. Not only is this location in an area central in Whitehall, but Coplay Borough is across the street.

We held the grand opening of our pantry for outside food distribution 10:30 a.m.-1 p.m. and 5:30-7 p.m. Jan. 21, 2021, due to COVID-19. We remained outside through the April 2022 distribution.

WCHI received clearance in February - dependent on future COVID-19 numbers - to move indoors in May. On May 12, we opened our choice pantry inside and had all our guests arrive at their scheduled time. We were open 9:30 a.m.-7 p.m.

Our guests are registered and paired with a volunteer who helps them select the foods they will eat. The pantry is set up like a store.

Due to the volume of Whitehall and Coplay households we are serving, the pantry is now open 9:30 a.m.-1 p.m. and 4:30-7 p.m. both the second and third Thursdays of the month. The Aug. 11 distribution is completely booked.

Available appointments are now being scheduled for Aug. 18. Call 484-225-0358 sooner than later to guarantee your appointment.

Have a great week!