Meals on Wheels of the Greater Lehigh Valley, BrightStar Care of Stroudsburg and Allentown and Compassionate Care Hospice partnered with Friends of Pete to present a Spring Into Giving Food Drive to provide needed food items for Whitehall-Coplay Hunger Initiative Food Pantry.

This event was held May 18 at 1302 N. Sherman St., Allentown. The event also included 35 local business vendors, networking opportunities, snacks, prizes and tastings courtesy of Sherman Street Brewery and Tolino Vineyards.

Many food donations also came from residents of the Midway Manor Housing Development across the street from Meals on Wheels.

This was the fourth food pantry event Meals on Wheels has hosted to provide much-needed food to local food pantries. The other three food pantry beneficiaries include Allentown Ecumenical Food Pantry, Central Moravian Food Pantry and Easton Area Neighborhood Center.

Meals on Wheels printed and distributed fliers for this event, which included the sponsors, the time and place of the event and the needed food items from our WCHI website. For more information, go to tinyurl.com/yc2vdns3.

Food donations poured into the Meals on Wheels parking lot for the entire three hours of the event. WCHI received cereal; instant oatmeal variety packs; pasta and spaghetti sauce; peanut butter; easy-to-open canned vegetables; canned chicken and tuna in water or pouches; reduced-sodium chicken noodle and vegetable soups; canned beans; canned fruit and fruit cups in water or light syrup; and other food items and monetary donations.

We also received a huge box of tote bags for our guests to shop at our pantry from Patriot Home Care.

WCHI supports Meals on Wheels by providing additional monthly food from our pantry to eight to 12 homebound Meals on Wheels clients. Karen Haberern, a Meals on Wheels representative who is also a WCHI volunteer and board member, delivers the shelf-stable food to these households. They are also included in our monthly food distribution household attendance numbers.

Overall, Meals on Wheels serves two adults and 67 seniors ranging from 38 to 98 years old in Whitehall and serves 11 seniors ranging from 61 to 92 years old in Coplay.

Meals on Wheels prepares and delivers 24,000 meals a month to their clients, who live in their market area of Lehigh, Northampton and lower Carbon counties. For more information on Meals on Wheels, go to mowglv.org.

I knew Erik McGaughey back when he was at the American Cancer Society and I chaired the Relay for Life here in Whitehall back in 2012 and 2013. He is now the CEO of Meals on Wheels since 2022. Congratulations!

McGaughey and I think a lot alike.

“Changing one life is a big deal! With what is happening between the food pantries and the work of Meals on Wheels of the Greater Lehigh Valley, we are changing neighborhoods, cities and the entire greater Lehigh Valley,” he said.

“WCHI is making a huge difference in people’s lives,” I always say.

Both Meals on Wheels and WCHI need more volunteers and more financial contributions, and we both want to be able to serve many more people who need our assistance.

You can host a food drive for WCHI. We currently need canned fruit, canned tuna, any kind of pasta and canned beans such as kidney, black, pinto and chickpeas for our June and July food distributions. We are feeding close to 1,000 Whitehall and Coplay residents a month.

These items can be dropped off 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Mondays through Fridays at my Re/Max Unlimited Real Estate office, 1080 Schadt Ave., Whitehall. Monetary donations are also appreciated. Make your check payable to WCHI or Whitehall-Coplay Hunger Initiative and write food in the memo section and mail, or drop off to me at my office mentioned above.

WCHI is a 501(c)3 public charity, and your donation may be tax deductible. Check with your financial adviser.

A big thank you is extended to Meals on Wheels and everyone associated with the fantastic food drive held May 18. WCHI and all our guests thank you for your generosity and for being your selected food pantry this year.