Ten years ago, St. Andrews Episcopal Church with the help of St. Mark’s Lutheran Church, Notre Dame Catholic Church of Bethlehem and the Unitarian Universalist Church of the Lehigh Valley (UUCLV) joined together to open the Pennsylvania Avenue Interfaith Food Bank at 1900 Pennsylvania Ave. in Allentown.

Twice a month the food bank opens its doors to supply food to local families in need.

Dedicated volunteers from the four churches help the families choose needed food to keep their families healthy.

However, the need has increased. During the past year, the food bank has seen a 50 percent increase in the number of families needing its help. This has been made more difficult due to inflation, which has increased the cost of food by 50 percent during the same period.

The food bank is supported partly by government funds and partly by private donations. The current economic times have caused a 40 percent drop in donations making it much more difficult to meet the growing need.