Our Programs
THANK YOU!! A huge shout out and thank you goes to all our fabulous volunteers, our monetary and food donors, Second Harvest Food Bank, Diocese of Allentown and St John the Baptist Roman Catholic Church, Lehigh County Commissioners for approving CDBG grants, Whitehall Township and Coplay Borough, WCSD, and all the Whitehall-Coplay and Catholic School clubs and Lehigh Valley businesses that do food and toiletry drives for us. We could not do our programs without your support. We are so blessed to have such a great group of interested and dedicated people all working together to help our community.
WCHI Choice Pantry
We are located at St John the Baptist Church, 3024 S Ruch St, Whitehall. Our Pantry is open on both the 2nd and 3rd Thursday of the month from 9:30am-1pm and from 4:30-7pm. This is by appointment only and we close promptly at 1pm and 7pm. Whitehall and Coplay residents can only visit once a month. First time attendees, come to the parking lot behind the Church and a volunteer will give your directions.
For our guests, who have mobility issues, don’t worry. We will have an ordering form available for you to complete during your scheduled time. A WCHI volunteer will shop for you and bring the food to your car in the Church parking lot.
Requirements: We serve Whitehall and Coplay Boro residents. Please present a valid photo ID and/or utility bill to verify residency. Income limits apply per the household size. No income paperwork is required. No smoking is permitted.
WCHI is proud that Second Harvest Food Bank selected us to be one of three Healthy Food Pantry Initiatives in Lehigh County, which offers healthier low fat and low salt products, when possible. After we register our guests, a volunteer takes them shopping though our Choice Pantry. Our guests select the food items that they will eat and choose from several food types: canned fruit and vegetables, protein (canned tuna, salmon, chicken, peanut butter), grains (includes: rice, pasta), cereal, ready to eat food, snacks, coffee/beverages, condiments, baby food, refrigerated and frozen foods, and fresh produce. Our guests also have choices for toiletry items: baby diapers, adult diapers, feminine napkins, tissues, and toilet paper. All items are based on availability.
Please go to WCHI Pantry List to donate needed food items. These items can also be dropped or shipped to Shari Noctor at my Re/Max Unlimited office, 1080 Schadt Ave, Whitehall PA 18052 (Monday - Friday; 9am - 5pm)
Just to give you data on the guests we have helped throughout the year (our numbers do change monthly), in July 2023 we served 251 households comprised of 433 adults, 356 children, and 190 seniors for a total of 979 people. We strive to provide food to make 5 meals per person, which totaled 4,895 meals.
We know there are many more food insecure residents in Whitehall Township and Coplay Borough and we want to provide food to them. Please let your family, friends, and neighbors know about us. We are here to help. Jenn Dietz, Al Edelman, Bill Meltzer are our Pantry Co-Chairs.
Unfortunately, food costs continue to rise and there are many supply issues. WCHI is so grateful for Second Harvest Food Bank (SHFB)!! They provide us with approximately 90% of our food. As of 8/24, their pantry available inventory was dramatically reduced to 105 total food and non-food items. Most of the food is free to Food Pantries like ours. SHFB serves 200 Agencies in 6 counties. Of the 105 items available, 42 of these are “purchase” items, which are at a reduced cost than we can purchase from the grocery store. The number of available food items that we would order is sharply reduced from January 2023 and the purchase program has increased 31% of this week’s available inventory. Some items we will order, and others are of no interest to us for our guests. We are also a Healthy Pantry, so we like foods that are not sugary and salty, though we do provide some of these items occasionally.
Because of the rising food costs, current supply chain issues, and the limited supply of foods available now through Second Harvest, I am strongly requesting that individuals, businesses, and faith-based organizations to PLEASE host food drives for WCHI as soon as possible.
Go to WCHI Pantry List to view the list of needed items for donations.
Recently, Good Shepherd Catholic School, Northampton; Shepherd of the Hills Lutheran Church, Whitehall; Taylor Villas (a housing subdivision in Whitehall); Changes for Hair (a salon next to Charles Pizza), and Whitehall Twp (organized by Melanie Pries, Twp Human Recourses officer) did food drives that provided WCHI with much needed food. This food was provided to our guests. THANK YOU everyone with your donations!!
WCHI also accepts monetary gifts of any size. WCHI is 501(c) (3) IRS approved nonprofit organization and your donation may be tax deductible. Please discuss with your financial advisor.
All Food and Monetary Donations are greatly appreciated and may be shipped, dropped, or mailed to Shari Noctor,
1080 Schadt Ave, Whitehall, PA 18052.
Please leave your dropped food donations inside the foyer on the right side, Monday through Friday 9AM- 5PM. The Whitehall-Coplay.
Questions or to schedule a pantry appointment,
please call 484-225-0358
We are located at St John the Baptist Church, 3024 S Ruch St, Whitehall. Our Pantry is open on both the 2nd and 3rd Thursday of the month from 9:30am-1pm and from 4:30-7pm. This is by appointment only and we close promptly at 1pm and 7pm. Whitehall and Coplay residents can only visit once a month. First time attendees, come to the parking lot behind the Church and a volunteer will give your directions.
For our guests, who have mobility issues, don’t worry. We will have an ordering form available for you to complete during your scheduled time. A WCHI volunteer will shop for you and bring the food to your car in the Church parking lot.
Requirements: We serve Whitehall and Coplay Boro residents. Please present a valid photo ID and/or utility bill to verify residency. Income limits apply per the household size. No income paperwork is required. No smoking is permitted.
WCHI is proud that Second Harvest Food Bank selected us to be one of three Healthy Food Pantry Initiatives in Lehigh County, which offers healthier low fat and low salt products, when possible. After we register our guests, a volunteer takes them shopping though our Choice Pantry. Our guests select the food items that they will eat and choose from several food types: canned fruit and vegetables, protein (canned tuna, salmon, chicken, peanut butter), grains (includes: rice, pasta), cereal, ready to eat food, snacks, coffee/beverages, condiments, baby food, refrigerated and frozen foods, and fresh produce. Our guests also have choices for toiletry items: baby diapers, adult diapers, feminine napkins, tissues, and toilet paper. All items are based on availability.
Please go to WCHI Pantry List to donate needed food items. These items can also be dropped or shipped to Shari Noctor at my Re/Max Unlimited office, 1080 Schadt Ave, Whitehall PA 18052 (Monday - Friday; 9am - 5pm)
Just to give you data on the guests we have helped throughout the year (our numbers do change monthly), in July 2023 we served 251 households comprised of 433 adults, 356 children, and 190 seniors for a total of 979 people. We strive to provide food to make 5 meals per person, which totaled 4,895 meals.
We know there are many more food insecure residents in Whitehall Township and Coplay Borough and we want to provide food to them. Please let your family, friends, and neighbors know about us. We are here to help. Jenn Dietz, Al Edelman, Bill Meltzer are our Pantry Co-Chairs.
Unfortunately, food costs continue to rise and there are many supply issues. WCHI is so grateful for Second Harvest Food Bank (SHFB)!! They provide us with approximately 90% of our food. As of 8/24, their pantry available inventory was dramatically reduced to 105 total food and non-food items. Most of the food is free to Food Pantries like ours. SHFB serves 200 Agencies in 6 counties. Of the 105 items available, 42 of these are “purchase” items, which are at a reduced cost than we can purchase from the grocery store. The number of available food items that we would order is sharply reduced from January 2023 and the purchase program has increased 31% of this week’s available inventory. Some items we will order, and others are of no interest to us for our guests. We are also a Healthy Pantry, so we like foods that are not sugary and salty, though we do provide some of these items occasionally.
Because of the rising food costs, current supply chain issues, and the limited supply of foods available now through Second Harvest, I am strongly requesting that individuals, businesses, and faith-based organizations to PLEASE host food drives for WCHI as soon as possible.
Go to WCHI Pantry List to view the list of needed items for donations.
Recently, Good Shepherd Catholic School, Northampton; Shepherd of the Hills Lutheran Church, Whitehall; Taylor Villas (a housing subdivision in Whitehall); Changes for Hair (a salon next to Charles Pizza), and Whitehall Twp (organized by Melanie Pries, Twp Human Recourses officer) did food drives that provided WCHI with much needed food. This food was provided to our guests. THANK YOU everyone with your donations!!
WCHI also accepts monetary gifts of any size. WCHI is 501(c) (3) IRS approved nonprofit organization and your donation may be tax deductible. Please discuss with your financial advisor.
All Food and Monetary Donations are greatly appreciated and may be shipped, dropped, or mailed to Shari Noctor,
1080 Schadt Ave, Whitehall, PA 18052.
Please leave your dropped food donations inside the foyer on the right side, Monday through Friday 9AM- 5PM. The Whitehall-Coplay.
Questions or to schedule a pantry appointment,
please call 484-225-0358
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Free Community Meals
WCHI, the Faith-Based Community, and others are proud to provide these FREE meals to low-income Whitehall-Coplay households twice a month. All are welcome to attend both meals on the 1st Sunday and 3rd Tuesday each month from 4:00-6:00pm (while supplies last). Our meals will be an inside sit-down meal at the host locations. WCHI will also post a meal reminder on Facebook and Instagram. Questions about hosting a meal or a guest wanting more info, please contact Karen Haberern, Program Chair, at 610-730-3184 Here are the following dates for meals.
Food Drives
THANK YOU to our local Community members who have organized or who currently are hosting food drives for WCHI with their friends, churches, housing subdivisions, service clubs, businesses, youth groups, boys & girl scouts, schools, etc. You can too!! Please call 484-225-0358 or register your food drive at https://tinyurl.com/WCHIdrive so we are aware and can thank you. All donations are appreciated and may be shipped or dropped off to Shari Noctor, Re/Max Unlimited Real Estate, 1080 Schadt Ave, Whitehall, PA 18052. Please leave your donations inside the foyer on the right, Monday through Friday 9AM- 5PM. Mickey Run Apartments Outreach Program
This year-round program was launched to provide the “Roseto Story” where neighbors get to know and help their fellow neighbors. Together we all bring a sense of community into the apartment complex. This has been very well-accepted program since starting in June 2020. We help alleviate the food needs of the children, youth, adults, and seniors living in the Mickley Run Apartment Complex. Neighbors will either bring neighbors with them or pick up food from our Food Pantry for those who do not have transportation when they pick up their food. Monetary Donations are appreciated and can be made payable to the Whitehall-Coplay Hunger Initiative, C/O Shari Noctor, 1080 Schadt Ave, Whitehall, PA 18052. Please put in the memo section where you want your donation applied. The Whitehall-Coplay Hunger Initiative is a 501(c) (3) IRS approved nonprofit organization and your donation may be tax deductible. Please discuss with your financial advisor.
Our Socials
Please visit our website https://tinyurl.com/WCHIhome! Like us on Facebook https://tinyurl.com/WCHIfb! Follow us on Instagram https://tinyurl.com/IGWCHunger! Questions, call Susan, Communications Chair, 610-440-1659. Questions?
Please call /text 484-225-0358 with questions on anything written above. WCHI is definitely making a difference in peoples’ lives. THANK YOU ALL!! |
WCHI Garden at Mickley-Prydun Farm
The Whitehall Coplay Hunger Initiative Pantry Garden, located at 3540 S Ruch Street, Whitehall, is situated on a small tract within the Mickley-Prydun Farm. Our Pantry Garden can best be observed from the Ironton Rail-Trail. We grow an assortment of vegetables including squash, tomatoes, peppers, and eggplant in raised beds. During the growing season, the fresh produce is provided to our Pantry guests on monthly distribution days, as well as at our Free Community Meals, offered twice a month. Beginning in 2023, WCHI also became a Lehigh Valley Plant-a-Row drop off site. We accept extra vegetables and fruit you grow in your garden and share these with our guests at our WCHI Pantry and Community Meals. When we have fresh produce outside our WCHI programs, we share the extra bounty with other food pantries within the Lehigh Valley Plant-a-Row network. Nothing goes to waste! All donations, no matter how small or large, are welcome and appreciated. These may be dropped at RE/MAX Unlimited located at 1080 Schadt Ave., Whitehall M-F 8:30am – 5pm or call Gwen Herzog at 610-379-6823 for other pick up or drop off arrangements. Nutrition Links Program
WCHI, in partnership with Penn State Extension, Allentown, is offering a FREE Nutrition Links Program “Learn to Eat Healthy on a Budget.” Julie Davitt, a Penn State Nutrition Education Adviser and WCHI Board Member, will be teaching this class. When: Wednesday, October 4th, 11th, 18th, and 25th from 10am-noon. Where: in the St John the Baptist Church Social Hall (white building behind our WCHI Food Pantry) at 3024 S Ruch St, Whitehall. Who qualifies for the Program: 1. Parent or caregiver of children who qualify for free or reduced school lunch or WIC and 2. Adults who qualify for PA Farmer’s market vouchers, SNAP, and Food Pantry guests. Topics include Delicious recipes, Smart Shopping, Meal Planning and Preparation, Food Safety, and Nutrition. At the completion of the class, attendees will receive a certificate of completion and Free Kitchen Tools. For more info and/or to register, please contact Julie Davitt at 484-857-2736, jbd14@psu.edu www.extension.psu-edu/nutrition-links Senior Boxes
The Senior Food Box Program works to improve the health of low-income seniors by supplementing their diets with nutritious USDA Foods. The senior food boxes do not provide a complete diet, but rather are good sources of the nutrients typically lacking in the diets of older Americans. Usually included in the 35-pound food box is: non-fat dry and shelf-stable fluid milk, juice, oats, ready-to-eat cereal, rice, pasta, dry beans, peanut butter, canned meat, poultry, or fish, and canned fruits and vegetables. The senior box income guidelines are much lower than the Pantry income guidelines. The income guidelines include all the income for all the people living in the household. For example, a household size of 1 person can have monthly income of $18,954 to qualify for a senior box compared to $26,973 to qualify for Pantry food. In a four-person household, the maximum income for all four people must be at or below $39,000 for the senior(s) to receive a box. If there are two or more seniors living in the household and the total income is at or below the limit, each senior can have a box if they want it, but each person must fill out a separate form and everyone living in the household must be named along with their birthdates. Proof of the senior’s age is a requirement. This would be on a driver’s license. No worries if the senior does not drive. We still can qualify them. You may qualify for a Senior Box, even though you do not wish to obtain Pantry food. If you are a monthly Pantry Guest, you will receive your Senior Box when you pick up your food. WCHI is committed to helping as many low-income Whitehall and Coplay residents as possible in our area that qualify both for the Pantry and the Senior Box Program. We also include homebound and mobility impaired residents. Please spread the word through your faith-based bulletins, and by telling your family, friends, and neighbors. Questions, call Gail, Program Chair, at 610-351-6412. Bingo
WCHI will be offering bingo at St Peter Roman Catholic Church, 4 South 5th St, Coplay on September 10, 2023, October 8, 2023, November 12, 2023, January 14, 2024, February 11, 2024, March 10, 2024, and April 14, 2024. Doors will open at 1pm and bingo starts at 2pm. Please mark your calendars. Fabulous food is available to purchase. Children are allowed to play if accompanied by an adult. $15 entry fee buys you 2 bingo boards with four games. Each additional board is $1 each and a pack of 5 specials are $5. Jackpot is now $200. Bingo chips and dabbers are available for purchase on site and through Amazon or Jackpot Amusements, 5827 Colony Dr, Bethlehem 610-837-9240. Questions and reservations, please call Liz Rodgers, Program Chair, 484-274-6687 Volunteers
We are a 100% volunteer organization and could never do any of our programs that help our Whitehall and Coplay residents without their continued support, time, and talents. All volunteers must have state required criminal background clearances since we work with children. To register and look at the full list of our requirements, please go to our website https://tinyurl.com/WCHIvolunteer and Volunteer Forms Questions, e-mail Sylvia Lee, Program Chair, at volunteerme.lee@gmail.com |