SHARI'S UPDATES
04-10-2025 WCHI HEALTHY HPI Article
Written by Jenn Dietz,
Healthy Pantry Initiative Chair and Pantry Co-Manager
WCHI distributes ALOT of cereal during our Food distributions. A total of 1200 boxes of cereal and other breakfast staples, like oatmeal and pancake mix, are provided to approximately 340 households monthly. Over the last few months, our WCHI pantry was blessed with many cases of grape nuts flakes and bran flakes cereals ordered from Second Harvest Food Bank.
There are so many sweet, flavored cereals that are marketed to appeal to kids. Bran flakes are generally not a cereal that a lot of people choose for its flavor. They may be viewed as an “old fashioned” product by young people. The flakes are often perceived to be dry, and some may even say they taste like cardboard, or probably make that assumption without even tasting them.
People often think of raisins and bran as a dynamic duo. Most of Kellogg’s brand Raisin Bran commercials focus on the “two scoops of raisins” in each box, skipping over the benefits of the whole grain, high dietary fiber, and healthy essential fatty acids they offer from the bran. The raisins, a dried fruit, are naturally sweet, so the combo is a good one in terms of healthiness as well as a balance of flavors.
For most people, bran flakes may not be their first or second choice of cereal. It was a bit of a challenge to convince our Pantry guests to select these somewhat unappealing cereals. When this happened, we felt determined to find a creative way to make people interested in choosing them. Maybe it was that type of challenge that created the match of raisins and bran in the cereal marketing world. In fact, WCHI also offered a package of raisins along with a selection of bran cereal to our Pantry guests in March.
The best way to encourage people to taste something is to offer samples of the bran flakes to taste. Even our volunteers were pleasantly surprised that the bran flakes have a lightly sweet flavor when eaten by themselves as a dry snack, since they are not sugar-free.
We also adapted a recipe from the back of a cereal box by mixing cereal flakes with peanut butter, a little honey, and some with raisins to create a sticky little protein ball called a Nutter Butter Power Bite. I spoke with several Pantry guests, who said there was at least one ingredient in them that they didn't like. But when they tasted it, they liked the combination snack and would eat it again. What we added contained natural sweetness that made us all forget about the “boring” bran. When at a loss for a meal idea, you can get creative with the ingredients you have in your kitchen.
WCHI always needs cereal and other non-perishable donations to supplement what may be available through Second Harvest Food Bank. Being a Healthy Pantry Initiative, WCHI prefers low sugar, low sodium, and “healthier” varieties of cereal. Donations can be dropped off or delivered to the RE/MAX Unlimited office, 1080 Schadt Ave., Whitehall, PA 18052 Monday through Friday 9 to 5 and placed inside the foyer.
There are so many sweet, flavored cereals that are marketed to appeal to kids. Bran flakes are generally not a cereal that a lot of people choose for its flavor. They may be viewed as an “old fashioned” product by young people. The flakes are often perceived to be dry, and some may even say they taste like cardboard, or probably make that assumption without even tasting them.
People often think of raisins and bran as a dynamic duo. Most of Kellogg’s brand Raisin Bran commercials focus on the “two scoops of raisins” in each box, skipping over the benefits of the whole grain, high dietary fiber, and healthy essential fatty acids they offer from the bran. The raisins, a dried fruit, are naturally sweet, so the combo is a good one in terms of healthiness as well as a balance of flavors.
For most people, bran flakes may not be their first or second choice of cereal. It was a bit of a challenge to convince our Pantry guests to select these somewhat unappealing cereals. When this happened, we felt determined to find a creative way to make people interested in choosing them. Maybe it was that type of challenge that created the match of raisins and bran in the cereal marketing world. In fact, WCHI also offered a package of raisins along with a selection of bran cereal to our Pantry guests in March.
The best way to encourage people to taste something is to offer samples of the bran flakes to taste. Even our volunteers were pleasantly surprised that the bran flakes have a lightly sweet flavor when eaten by themselves as a dry snack, since they are not sugar-free.
We also adapted a recipe from the back of a cereal box by mixing cereal flakes with peanut butter, a little honey, and some with raisins to create a sticky little protein ball called a Nutter Butter Power Bite. I spoke with several Pantry guests, who said there was at least one ingredient in them that they didn't like. But when they tasted it, they liked the combination snack and would eat it again. What we added contained natural sweetness that made us all forget about the “boring” bran. When at a loss for a meal idea, you can get creative with the ingredients you have in your kitchen.
WCHI always needs cereal and other non-perishable donations to supplement what may be available through Second Harvest Food Bank. Being a Healthy Pantry Initiative, WCHI prefers low sugar, low sodium, and “healthier” varieties of cereal. Donations can be dropped off or delivered to the RE/MAX Unlimited office, 1080 Schadt Ave., Whitehall, PA 18052 Monday through Friday 9 to 5 and placed inside the foyer.
04-03-202525 WCHI Pantry Garden Article
Written by Gwen Herzog, Pantry Garden Chair
As I wrote in last month’s article, I was able to meet with Hannah White at The Seed Farm on March 11th. It was one of those warmer days, so talking about plans for the 2025 Pantry Garden seemed appropriate and timely. Hannah had created a booklet of seedling and seed options that would be appropriate for our spaces, and we were able to discuss the amount and sizes of beds for this year’s Garden. Here are the plans we made:
Number and size of beds: For this year, our goal is less beds, but better use of available space. This means combining small beds with other small beds, combining small beds with large beds, and rototilling more of the grassy areas to add planting space to all the beds. In other words, more planting square footage and less grass cutting square footage. All in all, this year we will convert our current 9 beds into 6 big beds.
What we will grow: Because we normally have 5 or less volunteers on any given work night, we are going to plant vegetables and herbs that will provide high yield with minimal hands-on intervention. Our plan is to grow potatoes, eggplant, tomatoes, sweet peppers, hot peppers, zucchini, red beets, radishes, winter squash, and fall green beans. We will also plant basil, dill, parsley, and oregano along with zinnias and marigolds.
Watering when there is no rain: We currently have a water catch system on the back and gate side of the shed. Our plan is to add a second water catch system to the front and opposite side of the shed. We are currently on the hunt for a free or inexpensive new 250-gallon tote or a used, food-grade tote. Please reach out to me at 610-379-6823 if you can help us to source one. The Seed Farm will help us to install a drip irrigation system to each bed so that we can efficiently and effectively water our plants without using valuable volunteer time to achieve it. We also need to develop a more efficient way of adding water to our tanks when we have insufficient rain to fill them.
Getting started: Depending on the weather, the week of April 7th we will be removing the hoops, covers, and old plants from our existing fall bed and get it tilled and ready for potato planting. It will be my first time growing potatoes, and I am excited to learn the process. If Hannah’s estimates are accurate and we get a good growing season, we should be able to grow approximately 350 lbs. of potatoes to share with our Pantry guests. After we get the seed potatoes into the ground, we will develop a timeline to prepare the other beds for seeding and planting based on weather, cold tolerance, and expected harvest dates.
2025 goals: In 2024 we grew 885 lbs. of vegetables and herbs which were shared with guests at our Pantry and Free Community Meals. Our goal for 2025 is at least a 20% increase, or 1,100 lbs.
In my next article I will share with you our progress and upcoming work dates and times for the Pantry Garden. If you are walking the Ironton Rail Trail or visiting the local neighborhood, please stop by to visit, say hello, or help our efforts. Remember, no clearances are needed, and we will provide you with the gloves and tools you will need.
Have a great Easter!
Number and size of beds: For this year, our goal is less beds, but better use of available space. This means combining small beds with other small beds, combining small beds with large beds, and rototilling more of the grassy areas to add planting space to all the beds. In other words, more planting square footage and less grass cutting square footage. All in all, this year we will convert our current 9 beds into 6 big beds.
What we will grow: Because we normally have 5 or less volunteers on any given work night, we are going to plant vegetables and herbs that will provide high yield with minimal hands-on intervention. Our plan is to grow potatoes, eggplant, tomatoes, sweet peppers, hot peppers, zucchini, red beets, radishes, winter squash, and fall green beans. We will also plant basil, dill, parsley, and oregano along with zinnias and marigolds.
Watering when there is no rain: We currently have a water catch system on the back and gate side of the shed. Our plan is to add a second water catch system to the front and opposite side of the shed. We are currently on the hunt for a free or inexpensive new 250-gallon tote or a used, food-grade tote. Please reach out to me at 610-379-6823 if you can help us to source one. The Seed Farm will help us to install a drip irrigation system to each bed so that we can efficiently and effectively water our plants without using valuable volunteer time to achieve it. We also need to develop a more efficient way of adding water to our tanks when we have insufficient rain to fill them.
Getting started: Depending on the weather, the week of April 7th we will be removing the hoops, covers, and old plants from our existing fall bed and get it tilled and ready for potato planting. It will be my first time growing potatoes, and I am excited to learn the process. If Hannah’s estimates are accurate and we get a good growing season, we should be able to grow approximately 350 lbs. of potatoes to share with our Pantry guests. After we get the seed potatoes into the ground, we will develop a timeline to prepare the other beds for seeding and planting based on weather, cold tolerance, and expected harvest dates.
2025 goals: In 2024 we grew 885 lbs. of vegetables and herbs which were shared with guests at our Pantry and Free Community Meals. Our goal for 2025 is at least a 20% increase, or 1,100 lbs.
In my next article I will share with you our progress and upcoming work dates and times for the Pantry Garden. If you are walking the Ironton Rail Trail or visiting the local neighborhood, please stop by to visit, say hello, or help our efforts. Remember, no clearances are needed, and we will provide you with the gloves and tools you will need.
Have a great Easter!
03-27-2025 WCHI-THANK YOU
Whitehall-Coplay Press Editor Article
Written by Shari Noctor
This week’s article is to THANK Kelly Lutterschmidt, Editor of the Whitehall-Coplay Press, the Catasauqua Press, and the Northampton Press newspapers AND her Editorial Assistants, Stacey Koch and Samantha Anderson. The Whitehall-Coplay Hunger Initiative (WCHI) has been blessed that Kelly already recognized food insecurity in our area when I started writing WCHI articles in 2014. Together we have shared good information with the Press newspaper readers.
In our articles, WCHI provides information on a variety of food related topics. Our Free Community Meals dates and locations are also listed in the Happening Section of the paper. For years, Kelly has put our WCHI articles in all the three papers mentioned above to show that there is indeed food insecurity everywhere, not just in Whitehall and Coplay. In years past, people would comment to me that Whitehall and Coplay do not have a food insecurity problem. With educating residents though these articles, many people have now recognized we do have a hunger issue in our area. And readers have now stepped up to support WCHI help our community through volunteering and/or making food or monetary donations.
The Press paper’s readership goes beyond Whitehall and Coplay. People who have moved out of the area still receive the newspaper by mail or by visiting www.lvpnews.com And some have contacted me thanking WCHI for making a difference in people’s lives. Also, in the obituary section of the paper, sometimes memorial requests are asked to be made to WCHI. We have received monetary donations from all over the country thanks to the paper’s readership.
How did I get to write articles for the Whitehall-Coplay Press? I already was writing for the paper when I was the American Cancer Society’s Relay For Life Chair from 2012-2014. When I started WCHI in 2014, I wanted to be able to continue writing monthly newspaper articles in the Whitehall-Coplay Press. I asked Kelly about writing various informational hunger articles while focusing on Whitehall and Coplay residents. She said yes and the monthly articles continued until Covid arrived.
Kelly then asked me to write weekly articles since Covid impacted so many people. I wrote weekly articles until 2023. WCHI had grown and we continue to have many more WCHI food related topics to share with the Press newspaper readers. Now with WCHI’s Garden Chair, Gwen Hercog, and Jenn Dietz, WCHI’s Healthy Pantry Initiative (HPI) Chair, the three of us take turns writing interesting weekly WCHI articles.
I usually put in the paper the food items WCHI requests. We currently need cereal, chickpeas (garbanzo) and kidney beans, chicken noodle soup, mac & cheese, oatmeal boxed packets, peanut butter, and rice. These items can be dropped off for WCHI in the foyer of the Re/Max Unlimited office, 1080 Schadt Ave, Whitehall, PA 18052. Monetary donations payable to WCHI can be mailed to WCHI at the office address above. If you are hosting a food drive and dropping the food in the foyer mentioned above, please write on your box or boxes your contact’s name and phone number. Otherwise, we have no idea who donated.
Thank you again KELLY, STACEY, and SAMANTHA. You, too, are making a difference in people’s lives.
In our articles, WCHI provides information on a variety of food related topics. Our Free Community Meals dates and locations are also listed in the Happening Section of the paper. For years, Kelly has put our WCHI articles in all the three papers mentioned above to show that there is indeed food insecurity everywhere, not just in Whitehall and Coplay. In years past, people would comment to me that Whitehall and Coplay do not have a food insecurity problem. With educating residents though these articles, many people have now recognized we do have a hunger issue in our area. And readers have now stepped up to support WCHI help our community through volunteering and/or making food or monetary donations.
The Press paper’s readership goes beyond Whitehall and Coplay. People who have moved out of the area still receive the newspaper by mail or by visiting www.lvpnews.com And some have contacted me thanking WCHI for making a difference in people’s lives. Also, in the obituary section of the paper, sometimes memorial requests are asked to be made to WCHI. We have received monetary donations from all over the country thanks to the paper’s readership.
How did I get to write articles for the Whitehall-Coplay Press? I already was writing for the paper when I was the American Cancer Society’s Relay For Life Chair from 2012-2014. When I started WCHI in 2014, I wanted to be able to continue writing monthly newspaper articles in the Whitehall-Coplay Press. I asked Kelly about writing various informational hunger articles while focusing on Whitehall and Coplay residents. She said yes and the monthly articles continued until Covid arrived.
Kelly then asked me to write weekly articles since Covid impacted so many people. I wrote weekly articles until 2023. WCHI had grown and we continue to have many more WCHI food related topics to share with the Press newspaper readers. Now with WCHI’s Garden Chair, Gwen Hercog, and Jenn Dietz, WCHI’s Healthy Pantry Initiative (HPI) Chair, the three of us take turns writing interesting weekly WCHI articles.
I usually put in the paper the food items WCHI requests. We currently need cereal, chickpeas (garbanzo) and kidney beans, chicken noodle soup, mac & cheese, oatmeal boxed packets, peanut butter, and rice. These items can be dropped off for WCHI in the foyer of the Re/Max Unlimited office, 1080 Schadt Ave, Whitehall, PA 18052. Monetary donations payable to WCHI can be mailed to WCHI at the office address above. If you are hosting a food drive and dropping the food in the foyer mentioned above, please write on your box or boxes your contact’s name and phone number. Otherwise, we have no idea who donated.
Thank you again KELLY, STACEY, and SAMANTHA. You, too, are making a difference in people’s lives.
03-20-2025 WCHI-Meals on Wheels
Greater Lehigh Valley article
Written by Shari Noctor
I have known Erik McGaughey, CEO of Meals on Wheels of the Greater Lehigh Valley (MOW), for many years. This is from MOW’s website: We provide homebound senior citizens and adults with disabilities with home-delivered meals, grocery shopping and other services. Erik has written the quoted sections of the article below.
“Meals on Wheels of the Greater Lehigh Valley has been serving the Lehigh Valley since 1971. We currently deliver meals Monday through Friday to those in need in all of Lehigh, Northampton, and part of Carbon County.
In addition to a hot meal made each weekday that is portion controlled, heart healthy, low sodium and vitamin rich, we also serve cold meals to many of our clients. All our meals are certified by a registered dietitian and meet or exceed the standards set out by the state. We also connect those on our service to several different food pantries, Second Harvest senior food boxes, and numerous other resources including food for their pets, help with fans and microwaves, and other resources that are needed by those we serve to live independent lives. We are thrilled that all these extra services are free to all those we serve.
Most of the people we serve pay nothing, but others who are not covered by insurance or the counties have signed up for our help as well. We love being part of the community and partner with countless other non-profits, corporate employers, and incredible social organizations to help us deliver on our mission. We aim to be much more than just a meal to those we are fortunate enough to serve.
In the Whitehall/Coplay area we currently serve between 60 and 70 people and we have ten to fifteen volunteers to make that possible. We are always looking for more volunteers to help us make these deliveries. If you or someone you know has an hour to an hour and a half they can dedicate to helping others, we would love to hear from you. If it’s one day a month, one day a week, or five days a week, we could really use your help.”
From Karen Haberern, WCHI volunteer. “Having been a teacher, I have always had a desire to continue to make a positive impact on the Community. Volunteering for both WCHI and Meals on Wheels has fulfilled this need.” Karen delivers 4 to 6 meals one day a month to MOW clients.
For more info on Meals on Wheels, please visit their website https://mowglv.org or call
610-691-1030 (Monday – Friday 7:30 am – 4 pm).
I hope you are enjoying this first day of Spring!
“Meals on Wheels of the Greater Lehigh Valley has been serving the Lehigh Valley since 1971. We currently deliver meals Monday through Friday to those in need in all of Lehigh, Northampton, and part of Carbon County.
In addition to a hot meal made each weekday that is portion controlled, heart healthy, low sodium and vitamin rich, we also serve cold meals to many of our clients. All our meals are certified by a registered dietitian and meet or exceed the standards set out by the state. We also connect those on our service to several different food pantries, Second Harvest senior food boxes, and numerous other resources including food for their pets, help with fans and microwaves, and other resources that are needed by those we serve to live independent lives. We are thrilled that all these extra services are free to all those we serve.
Most of the people we serve pay nothing, but others who are not covered by insurance or the counties have signed up for our help as well. We love being part of the community and partner with countless other non-profits, corporate employers, and incredible social organizations to help us deliver on our mission. We aim to be much more than just a meal to those we are fortunate enough to serve.
In the Whitehall/Coplay area we currently serve between 60 and 70 people and we have ten to fifteen volunteers to make that possible. We are always looking for more volunteers to help us make these deliveries. If you or someone you know has an hour to an hour and a half they can dedicate to helping others, we would love to hear from you. If it’s one day a month, one day a week, or five days a week, we could really use your help.”
From Karen Haberern, WCHI volunteer. “Having been a teacher, I have always had a desire to continue to make a positive impact on the Community. Volunteering for both WCHI and Meals on Wheels has fulfilled this need.” Karen delivers 4 to 6 meals one day a month to MOW clients.
For more info on Meals on Wheels, please visit their website https://mowglv.org or call
610-691-1030 (Monday – Friday 7:30 am – 4 pm).
I hope you are enjoying this first day of Spring!
03-13-2025 WCHI HPI Article Written
by Jenn Dietz, HPI Chair and Pantry Co-Manager
Ways to use Very Ripe Fruits & Vegetables
My family has always been pretty good at using leftover ingredients and finding ways to use whatever is in the fridge or cupboards to come up with a meal. However, I know lots of people who think nothing of leaving food on their plates at a restaurant to be thrown away instead of taking the “doggie bag” of leftovers home for another meal. We often allow food to spoil in the fridge causing it to be thrown away. We are literally throwing money away.
There are often fruits and vegetables that are not able to be sold that could be used to help feed people who are hungry. Food waste is a big problem in America. In 2010 that problem was worth approximately $161 billion dollars or more than 133 billion pounds. Billions!
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration says that “in the United States food waste is estimated at between 30 to 40% of the food supply at both retail and consumer levels.” This comes from the USDA Economic Research Service. There is now a federal interagency collaboration to reduce food loss and waste, in a signed formal agreement with the FDA, USDA and Environmental Protection Agency. The goal is to achieve a 50% reduction of food loss and waste by 2030.
Through the efforts of the food bank network of Second Harvest, Feeding Pennsylvania and Feeding America, there are teams of people who work with the food industry to rescue food that would otherwise go to waste. They work with farmers, retailers, and government agencies to save unwanted food from landfills and move donated grocery items to where it is needed most. Second Harvest seeks donations of unsaleable, but edible products from local companies.
Our Healthy Pantry Initiative nutrition educators have provided some great ideas for ways to use over-ripe produce. I am happy to learn some new ideas and share them with you here.
10 ways to use very ripe fruit: Bake a crumble cobbler or crisp. Freeze it to blend into smoothies. Crush it and spread it on toast like jam. Add it to a quick bread or muffins. Slow cook a chunky sauce for pancakes or stir into yogurt or oats. Use it as a salsa topping for grilled meat or fish. Purée it with oil vinegar and herbs to make a salad dressing. Mix it with yogurt and freeze to make popsicles, or purée and add it to milk to make flavored milk.
10 ways to use very ripe or leftover vegetables: Stir-fry. Pizza toppings. Soup or stew. Add to pasta salad. Use for omelets and egg scrambles. Roasted vegetables as a side, or roast and puree into a smooth soup or sauce. Fried rice. Add some flavor and nutrients to tomato sauce – when shredded and sautéed, they are well hidden. Add it to a savory quick bread. Make savory pancakes or potato cakes.
Learn more at www.fda.gov/consumers/food-loss-and-waste and www.feedingamerica.org
There are often fruits and vegetables that are not able to be sold that could be used to help feed people who are hungry. Food waste is a big problem in America. In 2010 that problem was worth approximately $161 billion dollars or more than 133 billion pounds. Billions!
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration says that “in the United States food waste is estimated at between 30 to 40% of the food supply at both retail and consumer levels.” This comes from the USDA Economic Research Service. There is now a federal interagency collaboration to reduce food loss and waste, in a signed formal agreement with the FDA, USDA and Environmental Protection Agency. The goal is to achieve a 50% reduction of food loss and waste by 2030.
Through the efforts of the food bank network of Second Harvest, Feeding Pennsylvania and Feeding America, there are teams of people who work with the food industry to rescue food that would otherwise go to waste. They work with farmers, retailers, and government agencies to save unwanted food from landfills and move donated grocery items to where it is needed most. Second Harvest seeks donations of unsaleable, but edible products from local companies.
Our Healthy Pantry Initiative nutrition educators have provided some great ideas for ways to use over-ripe produce. I am happy to learn some new ideas and share them with you here.
10 ways to use very ripe fruit: Bake a crumble cobbler or crisp. Freeze it to blend into smoothies. Crush it and spread it on toast like jam. Add it to a quick bread or muffins. Slow cook a chunky sauce for pancakes or stir into yogurt or oats. Use it as a salsa topping for grilled meat or fish. Purée it with oil vinegar and herbs to make a salad dressing. Mix it with yogurt and freeze to make popsicles, or purée and add it to milk to make flavored milk.
10 ways to use very ripe or leftover vegetables: Stir-fry. Pizza toppings. Soup or stew. Add to pasta salad. Use for omelets and egg scrambles. Roasted vegetables as a side, or roast and puree into a smooth soup or sauce. Fried rice. Add some flavor and nutrients to tomato sauce – when shredded and sautéed, they are well hidden. Add it to a savory quick bread. Make savory pancakes or potato cakes.
Learn more at www.fda.gov/consumers/food-loss-and-waste and www.feedingamerica.org
03-06-2025 WCHI Pantry Garden Article
Written by Gwen Herzog, Pantry Garden Chair
This month I have an appointment with Hannah from The Seed Farm to start to plan our 2025 Pantry Garden. However, with the extremely cold weather, snow, and ice we experienced in February, I haven’t given this year’s garden a lot of thought. As I wrote last month, we remained extremely busy at the pantry down packing bulk produce for the February distributions. The items we down packed in February included: avocados, oranges, sweet potatoes, carrots, and onions. In February we also distributed white potatoes, mangoes, grapes, and cabbage. In case you were wondering, when you are packing 180 bags and you have 400 lbs. of carrots, 400 lbs. of sweet potatoes, and 400 lbs. of onions, you place 5-6 onions, 10-11 carrots, and 4-5 sweet potatoes into each bag. Thank goodness for our scale and math skills, but mostly for our volunteers! Each bag contained approximately 6.5 lbs. of produce.
Fresh-from-the-farm foods are great but are not always readily available or even practical. In a recent AARP newsletter, I read an article by Alison Gwinn titled, “25 Processed Foods That Are Actually Good for You.” I was curious, then intrigued at what I learned because many of the 25 foods she noted I never thought of as “processed.” Here are the 25 items, with one bonus item, from that AARP article:
Have a great March!
Fresh-from-the-farm foods are great but are not always readily available or even practical. In a recent AARP newsletter, I read an article by Alison Gwinn titled, “25 Processed Foods That Are Actually Good for You.” I was curious, then intrigued at what I learned because many of the 25 foods she noted I never thought of as “processed.” Here are the 25 items, with one bonus item, from that AARP article:
- Dairy, soy milk, or filtered milk – milk is natural, but it is pasteurized.
- Greek yogurt – choose plain yogurt because it doesn’t have added sugar
- Precut vegetables – especially if you don’t like cleaning and cutting your own
- Packaged salads – timesaver to get those leafy greens
- Canned beans – choose low sodium or rinse for a few seconds
- Frozen or canned fish – look for low salt/no salt and no breading
- Nuts and seeds – limit to a handful (1/3 cup) and choose no salt varieties
- Peanut butter or other nut butters – avoid added sugars, hydrogenated oils, and excessive salt
- Tofu – linked to lower rates of certain cancers, use as a replacement for meat
- Rotisserie chicken – remove the skin and shred for quick, versatile meals
- Frozen fruits and vegetables – easy to portion and use, can eliminate wasting food
- Cottage cheese – choose low sodium and low-fat varieties
- Whole-grain brown rice – season plain brown rice with dried herbs and spices
- Hummus – the creamy texture can be gentle on aging digestive systems
- Popcorn – pop your own on the stove top or choose low salt and low-fat microwave varieties
- Mozzarella sticks – each stick is typically one convenient calcium serving, great for bones, and muscles
- Sauerkraut – choose fresh varieties without added sugars, preservatives, or vinegar
- Chickpea or lentil pastas – provides more protein and fiber than white pasta
- Dried fruit – high in fiber and antioxidants, limit to ¼ cup servings due to concentrated sugars
- Cereal – choose healthy, lower sugar options, but any cereal is better than skipping breakfast
- Protein powders – can be added to other foods if you are struggling to get enough protein
- Edamame, frozen or dried – look for low salt/no salt varieties and eat as a snack or add to soups and salads
- Tomato sauce – check the labels and choose varieties low in salt and sugar
- Kombucha and kefir – good for gut health, choose those with less sugar and other additives
- Olive oil – opt for extra-virgin varieties and use for sautéing, drizzling over salads, and as a dip for whole grain bread
- Pureed pumpkin – choose pure pumpkin (not pumpkin pie filling) and stir into hot cereal, casseroles, and soups.
Have a great March!
02-27.2025 WCHI Free Community Meal Article written by Shari Noctor
Whitehall-Coplay Hunger Initiative (WCHI), the Faith-Based Community, and others are proud to provide these FREE MEALS to low-income Whitehall and Coplay residents twice a month. All are welcome to attend both meals on the 1st Sunday and 3rd Tuesday each month from 4:00-6:00pm. WCHI will post a meal reminder and the meal being served on Facebook and Instagram. It will state if it is an inside sit-down meal, take out, or a version of both. Questions, please call Karen Haberern, Program Chair, at 610-730-3184.
THANK YOU to everyone who provides these meals. The host location obtains the food, prepares the meals, sets up the eating areas, serves the meals, and cleans up. Many, many hands help to make each meal a huge success. WCHI cannot do this much needed Outreach Program without YOU, and we truly are grateful for all your support.
Each meal site does keep attendance records for WCHI. This data is a total from the last four meals in 2025 served by St Peter Roman Catholic Church on 1/5; Whitehall Active Community Center on 1/21; Muslim Association of the Lehigh Valley on 2/2; and Whitehall Bible Fellowship Church on 2/18. Note: many people come for every meal, and some may come once or when they can. This is a total for all four meals: 13 children (ages a baby-17), 24 adults (ages 18-59), and 238 seniors (ages 60+) for a total of 275 meals served to 211 households. Since November 2023, Seniors have been the largest group by age attending our monthly meals. However, these meals are intended for all ages, and everyone is always welcome.
Please mark your calendars. These are WCHI’s upcoming Free Community Meals 4-6 pm or while supplies last:
Sunday, March 2 - St. John the Baptist Catholic Church (in the white Social Hall behind the School), 3024 S. Ruch St, Whitehall 610-262-2260. Please put Coplay in your GPS or Coplay Eatery (which is diagonal to the school). Otherwise, you may end up at our WCHI Garden, which is not near the school.
Tuesday, March 18 - St Elizabeth of Hungary Catholic Church, 618 Fullerton Ave, Whitehall
610-266-0695.
Sunday, April 6 - Muslim Association of the Lehigh Valley, 1988 Schadt Ave, Whitehall 703-346-8698.
Tuesday, April 15 – Shepherd of the Hills Lutheran Church, 4331 Main St, Whitehall 610-730-3184.
WCHI also would like to thank all the meal providers for promoting their meal. And WCHI appreciates each host site providing our Free Community Meal yellow fliers for new and repeat guests to take home with them. Each flier specifies the meal site date, location, and contact phone numbers (as bolded above) through Tuesday, June 17. Other WCHI information is provided on the back side of the 1/2-page flier. Updated meal fliers for the 2nd half of the year will be available in June. These fliers are also provided to our WCHI guests on food distribution days.
We would also like to thank the Whitehall-Coplay Press for including every one of our meals in their Happenings section of the paper. As a community working together, we truly are making a difference in people’s lives. Have a great week.
02-20-2025 WCHI donations with poundage article
written by Shari Noctor, WCHI President
WCHI and I are so grateful for all the community’s generosity in providing Food, Toiletry items, and Pet Food for our guests. I wanted to acknowledge and thank the Churches, School Clubs, Daycares, Businesses & Organizations, and the General Public for donating over 18,714 pounds of needed items in 2024. Note: the numbers listed after each organization is the total poundage they donated for the year.
Sue Butchinski, WCHI Board Member and Pantry Volunteer, contacted all the Faith-Based Organizations in Whitehall and Coplay to see if they would like to participate and donate a specific item of food or do a general food drive monthly for WCHI. Many already do Free Community Meals for us, and we are most grateful.
Four local Churches do participate in the monthly Food Drive Program: First Presbyterian of Hokendauqua (pasta) 1,336; Shepherd of the Hills Lutheran Church (food) 1,333; St. John the Baptist Church (canned tuna) 414; and St Peter Roman Catholic Church (cereal) 1,180. If you would like to do a faith-based food drive for WCHI (it does not need to be monthly), please contact Sue at 484-767-6022. Also, a food donation was made by the Catholic Women’s Society of Giving of the Diocese of Allentown 47.
Schools and Day Cares also collected food items for WCHI. Good Shepherd Catholic School 1,132; Shoemaker Elementary School, Macungie 677; St Elizabeth Regional School 470; The Goddard School of Center Valley 336; The Learning Tree Child Care Center, Whitehall 31; WCSD London Club and Scholastic Scrimmage 56; WCSD Science National Honor Society 208; WCSD Steckel Elementary School 2,078; WCSD Zephyr Elementary School 518.
Other Businesses and Organizations: Girl Scout Troop 6011 40; Hokendauqua Pool Patrons and Staff 50; Horizons at the Village at Whitehall 55+ Community 229; Minsi Trails, Scouting America 433; Smart Warehouse1,340; St Lukes Fitness & Performance Center 324, Taylor Villas 55+ Community 868; WCHI Bingo players 637; Whitehall Lion’s Club 38, Whitehall WAWA 162, and WIC 121.
WCHI also had 19 people and 1 cat donate food, toiletries, and pet food. I have all their names, but I did not print them since I did not have time for this week’s newspaper deadline to ask their permission. Buster, the cat, though said it was ok to use his name. Total poundage for all 20 donations 924.
All donations that came into the Re/Max Unlimited foyer 3,732. Grand Total is a fantastic 18,714 pounds!!
WCHI currently needs the following food items: Cereal, Oatmeal, Pancake mix, 16 oz Peanut Butter, Canned Fruit (in fruit juice or light syrup), and Chicken Noodle Soup. Food donations can be dropped off on the right side of the foyer or shipped to WCHI c/o Re/Max Unlimited Real Estate, 1080 Schadt Ave, Whitehall PA 18052.
Thank you, everyone, for your generosity and continued support. Your food and monetary donations are always greatly appreciated. Together, we all are making a difference in people’s lives.
02-13-2025 HPI Article “American Heart Month and salt intake”
Written by Jenn Dietz, HPI Chair and Pantry Co-Manager
February is deemed “American Heart Month” by the American Heart Association.
The website heart.org covers education on many heart related health topics including healthy eating, fitness and lifestyle tips, recipes, lots of medical information about all things related to heart health, heart attack and stroke symptoms.
Heart disease is once again the leading cause of death in the U.S., according to a new statistical report published Jan 27, 2025. Cardiovascular diseases, which include heart disease and stroke, claimed more lives in the U.S. than all forms of cancer and accidental deaths-the No. 2 and No. 3 causes of death-combined. High blood pressure is one of the major risk factors for heart disease. It occurs when the force of blood flowing through your blood vessels is consistently too high.
Where does the sodium issue come in? Sodium is a mineral that supports vital functions. It’s regulated by your kidneys and helps control your body’s fluid balance. Excess sodium in your bloodstream pulls water into your blood vessels, increasing the amount (volume) of blood inside them. When more blood flows through your blood vessels, blood pressure increases. Increased blood flow makes the heart work harder to pump more blood through the body. Just like you, your heart doesn’t want to work harder.
The body needs less than 500mg of sodium per day to function well and most people consume more than five times that. Most of the sodium in our diets comes from packaged and processed foods. Eating these foods less often can help reduce your sodium intake, lower your blood pressure and prevent high blood pressure from developing.
In the WCHI pantry, we aim to offer canned foods that are low in sodium as often as possible. We have one whole rack dedicated to ‘low or no salt added’ vegetables. We display the healthier items on the top shelves and encourage our guests to check the nutrition labels as they make their choices. You can eat foods with varying amounts of sodium and still achieve a balanced, healthy diet, it just requires a little awareness to keep the balance.
Second Harvest Food Bank uses the guideline that 230 mg of sodium per serving or less is low enough to put those foods in the “choose often” category. We suggest rinsing your canned veggies before cooking and adding your own salt or seasonings so you can keep your intake under control.
I found these interesting sodium myth-busters to share with you.
Myth: Sea salt has less sodium than table salt. Sea salt is popular, but it usually isn’t any less salty. Just like table salt, it typically contains 40% sodium. Myth: My blood pressure is normal, so I don’t need to worry about how much sodium I eat. The American Heart Association recommends no more than 2,300mg a day and moving toward an ideal limit of no more than 1,500 mg per day for most adults. Even cutting back by 1,000 mg a day can help improve your blood pressure and heart health. Myth: I usually don’t salt my food, so I don't eat too much sodium. Over 75% of sodium people in the U.S. consume is estimated to come from processed and ready meals–not the saltshaker. That’s why it’s important to compare Nutrition Facts labels and serving sizes. Learn more from the American Heart Association and heart.org.
02-06-202525 WCHI Pantry Garden Article
Written by Gwen Herzog, Pantry Garden Chair
I am writing this article on Wednesday, January 29th and today was the warmest day we’ve had in weeks. The wind is terrible, but this afternoon the thermometer in my car said it was 51 degrees outside! My cat, Buster, likes to get into the car and go for a ride. Today we got into the car and I only pulled out of the garage and into the driveway for our “ride.” While sitting out there for about twenty minutes, I noticed my magnolia tree looks like it may be getting buds. The warmer weather and the melted snow cover has also started to push the Galanthus, or snow drops, to peek through the mulch on the south side of my house. I am sure that many of the other spring bulbs will also get confused and start to push. Hopefully, their tops will not freeze nor be critter eaten when we get another cold spell.
As much as this warm day made me think about getting the Pantry Garden geared up, I know that vegetable planting season is still about 15 weeks away. I am anticipating that The Seed Farm will provide us with plant and seed support; however, I will most likely start some seeds indoors for my own garden. Buster and his curious nature will ensure that the seeds are pushed way, way down into the soil because he just can’t stay out of or off of anything. Despite his “assistance,” some of the seeds will sprout plants that will survive and provide me with great bounty this summer.
Just like professional athletes during the off-season, Pantry Garden volunteers, such as myself, don’t sit around and wait for the spring thaw. We spend our off-season staying in gardening shape by volunteering inside the food pantry and at monthly BINGO. On distribution Wednesdays in January, volunteers unloaded trucks from Second Harvest including shelf stable food items, refrigerated dairy and juice items, frozen foods, and fresh vegetables and fruit. Fresh carrots, onions, and oranges were down packed from their 50-pound bags into household-sized bags. We also prepared for distribution lettuce in clamp packs and heads of cabbage. All totaled in January, at least 1,500 pounds of fresh vegetables and fruit were shared with our pantry guests.
On January distribution Thursdays, volunteers put up pantry directional signs, coned off walkway safe zones, registered guests, prepared carts for shopping, shopped with guests, re-stocked shelves, pushed full carts out of the pantry, delivered carts to guests’ cars, took cardboard and trash to the dumpsters, and returned empty carts into the pantry. It takes a village to make our pantry run successfully on distribution days!
On January 12th, our Pantry Gardeners also volunteered at WCHI’s BINGO at St. Peter’s Catholic Church located at 4 South 5th Street in Coplay. Volunteers arrived by noon to set up, sold BINGO boards and raffle tickets, verified BINGOs, and weighed and sorted non-perishable food donations received. Volunteers, like me, also enjoy the amazing food, including baked goods, that the St. Peter’s kitchen staff prepare for sale. WCHI’s next Bingo is on Sunday, February 9th. Questions, please call Liz, Bingo Chair, 484-274-6687.
Do you love to garden and need an activity to keep you in gardening shape during the off-season?? Why not consider volunteering at our WCHI food pantry and/or at pantry BINGO? Please email our volunteer coordinator, Sylvia Lee, at [email protected] for more information on joining our team of volunteers.
Stay warm!
01-30-2025 WCHI VOLUNTEER INFORMATION AND A REQUEST
I wanted to write an article on VOLUNTEERING since this is so important for a community. Many people have time and wonderful talents they can offer. Can you help our Whitehall-Coplay Hunger Initiative (WCHI).
WCHI is 100% volunteer. We have many dedicated, selfless volunteers who really enjoy working with each other and helping our food insecure residents obtain one of life’s necessities– FOOD. Without our Volunteers, WCHI could never fulfill our mission of alleviating food insecurity in Whitehall and Coplay. A huge THANK YOU is extended to EVERONE who helps WCHI. Due to increasing food, gas, rent, childcare, & medicine costs, WCHI was pleased to serve 326 households in December consisting of 428 children, 589 adults, and 244 seniors. The households were a 10% increase over December 2023. We anticipate 2025’s attendance to also increase. Learn more www.tinyurl.com/WCHIvolunteer and click on the volunteer tabs. Questions, please contact Sylvia, Volunteer Chair, at [email protected]
I found this Benefits of Community Service article from Western Connecticut State University and wanted to share some of it with you https://tinyurl.com/9wsz5utf They use the word VOLUNTEERING numerous times. To save character space in this article, I will use (V).
“#1: (V) connects you to others - One of the better-known benefits of (V) is the impact on the community. Unpaid (V) are often the glue that holds a community together. (V) allows you to connect to your community and make it a better place. Even helping out with the smallest tasks can make a real difference to the lives of people in need. And (V) is a two-way street: It can benefit you and your family as much as the cause you choose to help. Dedicating your time as a volunteer helps you make new friends, expand your network, and boost your social skills.
One of the best ways to make new friends and strengthen existing relationships is to commit to a shared activity together. (V) is a great way to meet new people, especially if you are new to an area. (V) also strengthens your ties to the community and broadens your support network, exposing you to people with common interests, neighborhood resources, and fun and fulfilling activities.
(V) increases your social and relationship skills. While some people are naturally outgoing, others are shy and have a hard time meeting new people. (V) gives you the opportunity to practice and develop your social skills, since you are meeting regularly with a group of people with common interests. Once you have momentum, it’s easier to branch out and make more friends and contacts.
#2: (V) provides many benefits to both mental and physical health. (V) can provide a healthy boost to your self-confidence, self-esteem, and life satisfaction. You are doing good for others and the community, which provides a natural sense of accomplishment. Your role as a volunteer can also give you a sense of pride and identity. And the better you feel about yourself, the more likely you are to have a positive view of your life and future goals.
(V) combats depression. Reducing the risk of depression is another important benefit of (V). A key risk factor for depression is social isolation. (V) keeps you in regular contact with others and helps you develop a solid support system, which in turn protects you against stress and depression when you’re going through challenging times.
(V) helps you stay physically healthy. (V) is good for your health at any age, but it’s especially beneficial in older adults. Studies have found that those who volunteer have a lower mortality rate than those who do not, even when considering factors like the health of the participants. (V) has also been shown to lessen symptoms of chronic pain or heart disease.
#3: (V) brings fun and fulfillment to your life. (V) is a fun and easy way to explore your interests and passions. Doing volunteer work, you find meaningful and interesting, can be a relaxing, energizing escape from your day-to-day routine of work, school, or family commitments. (V) also provides you with renewed creativity, motivation, and vision that can carry over into your personal and professional life.”
I hope you found this article informative and would consider volunteering with WCHI. Have a great week!!
Whitehall Lions Blood Drive
Shari Noctor has been a member of the Whitehall Lions Club for years. The Co-Presidents (just temporary as joint) are Judy Ott (610-262-7598) and Cindy Polzer (484-223-5730). Both Judy and Cindy help us at the WCHI Pantry on distributions days. The Lions are planning on doing a Miller-Keystone Blood Drive at Shepherd of the Hills Lutheran Church, 4331 Main St, Whitehall across from Eberhardt Motors on a Sunday in the spring from 9am-2 pm. Miller Keystone now requires an interest of 25 people before they will schedule the blood drive. The exact Sunday will be announced once the Lions have 25 people committed to attending. Please call Judy or Cindy to sign up. Exact appointment times will be available once the date is confirmed. Thank you for helping WCHI and the Lions.
Shari
Shari Noctor, President
Whitehall-Coplay Hunger Initiative
1080 Schadt Ave
Whitehall, PA 18052
484-225-0358
[email protected]
01-09-2025 Article - Written by Jenn Dietz, HPI Chair and Pantry Co-Manager
Happy New Year from the Whitehall Coplay Hunger Initiative Pantry! We have some highlights of the year
to share. As you may remember, WCHI is a member of the Healthy Pantry Initiative through Feeding
Pennsylvania. The goal is to increase access to healthy foods and beverages as well as provide
information on chronic diseases to food pantry clients. We encourage consumption of more nutritious
foods through environmental changes as well as direct nutrition education such as healthy food tastings,
demonstrations, and recipes. An additional six pantries have joined the Healthy Pantry Initiative, bringing
the total to 20 pantries in the program.
A survey that some of our guests filled out in the spring indicated that many people appreciate receiving
fresh fruits and vegetables and continue to request a variety of fresh foods. We regularly order bulk
produce from Second Harvest and distribute vegetables that we grow in our WCHI Garden. Over the past
two months we have given out fresh mangoes, apples, pears, onions, carrots, cabbage, sweet potatoes
and pineapples, in addition to frozen brussels sprouts, blueberries and strawberries. We are proud of
offering this great variety of foods.
This year the team at Second Harvest installed 14 new raised garden beds on their property and they
harvested 421 pounds of produce. The vegetables and 1,248 herb plants were shared with guests as
plants to grow at home, as well as ingredients in the food samples they gave at pantry visits, including
ours, over the summer. We were able to share some basil and tomato plants this year and hope to
encourage our guests to grow some veggies at home this year, too.
At WCHI, we enjoy sharing healthy food samples and recipes with our guests to highlight foods that are in
the pantry that may be unfamiliar and encourage everyone to try something new or get creative with
new ways to prepare foods. Throughout this past year, we offered tastings of Stove Top spoon bread,
oatmeal bites, tomato bruschetta, oatmeal raisin bars, vegan "macaroni & cheese", cheesy broccoli
soup, chili mac and cornbread pudding. The survey showed that 36 of those who responded to the
survey had tried new food because of these offerings! That is the kind of progress we are happy to see.
While guests are shopping in our WCHI Pantry, we talk with them to find out their dietary concerns and
cooking styles. WCHI does our best to help them make choices that fit their needs. We help educate our
guests as they make their selections each month by paying attention to signage around the pantry
indicating choices that are higher in fiber or lower in sodium and sugar. Our guests have reported that the
foods offered at the WCHI Pantry helps improve their health. Hearing that our neighbors are working
toward better health is reassuring us that our efforts are making a difference in helping our community.
Please visit the websites for www.FeedingeA,Q(g and the PA Healthy Pantry Initiative
https://tinyurl.com/.bdnu1xx3 to find recipes and learn more about how these programs are helping our
neighbors.
01-02-2025 WCHI Pantry Garden Article
Written by Gwen Herzog, Pantry Garden Chair
As we kick off 2025, I wanted to recap a few open items from our 2024 Pantry Garden. If you recall, we still had radishes and spinach planted, both covered and uncovered, as well as parsley, cilantro, and oregano. We anticipated that we would be able to continue to harvest these items into December provided we had some good weather. Unfortunately, after the rain we had in November, we had extremely cold weather for about a week.
On Sunday, December 8th we had a very warm day, and I was able to spend a couple of hours in the garden. I took down our WCHI Pantry Garden sign, emptied the water barrels, and drained the water tank. The hose had some frozen spots, so I laid it out in the sun to thaw and drain out. Unfortunately, when I checked the spinach and radishes, I found the spinach to have white spots and the radishes were limp and frozen. In addition, the oregano, cilantro, and parsley were frozen. As a result of losing the last of our crops, I used the remaining straw in the shed and mulched the rest of the open beds. Full disclosure, I was lazy and did not weed the beds before putting down the straw. I am writing this article on December 24th, and due to the recent snowfall, I will have to wait for a warm day to make my way down to the garden to put away our hose and to store the barrels in the shed.
I found it interesting that our groundhog friend who resided under our shed has been noticeably absent from the garden. The piece of fence near the gate hinge was found to be pushed aside, thus allowing him to escape. This fence repair has taken top billing on our late winter/early spring work list.
Hannah from The Seed Farm received our soil report from the Penn State extension and in her words, “The results look really good.” She said we will want to amend our soil with a balanced fertilizer to bring up the levels of phosphorus and potassium, but otherwise, the soil is great.
Although we were unable to provide fresh vegetables from our Pantry Garden on our December distribution days, we were fortunate that Second Harvest had several items available for our guests. These included carrots, yams, onions, cabbage, pears, mangoes, pineapples, and apples. Most of these items arrived in bulk boxes or in 50 lb. bags, so our pantry volunteers down packed these into Wawa bags for grab-and-go distribution to guests. Each distribution had different items available, but all our guests had access to a nice selection of these nutritious foods.
Did you know that during November and December the pantry received thousands of pounds of non-perishable food items that you, our local community, graciously donated? Every can or box donated makes a real difference to a food-insufficient households. If you follow our Facebook page, you have seen that we had no less than 16 schools, businesses, churches, housing communities, and civic organizations organize food drives for WCHI, plus we had additional, valuable donations received at the Re/Max Unlimited office at 1080 Schadt Avenue, Whitehall. Our volunteers picked up, unloaded, date checked, and sorted all the donations we received. All totaled, we received 4,425 pounds of non-perishable food items and toiletries. Our community is FABULOUS!
Finally, I want to recognize the tireless efforts of our WCHI volunteers who make everything we do possible. I look forward to continuing to volunteer with all of you in 2025! Email our volunteer coordinator, Sylvia Lee, at [email protected] for more information on joining our AMAZING team.
Happy New Year!
12-26-2024 Whitehall-Coplay Hunger Initiative’s Current Programs
written by Shari Noctor
OUR MISSION: To alleviate food insecurity in Whitehall & Coplay
WCHI CHOICE FOOD PANTRY We serve Whitehall & Coplay residents. Located at St John the Baptist Church, 3024 S Ruch St, Whitehall, our Pantry is open on both the 2nd and 3rd Thursdays of the month from 9am-1pm and from 4:30-7pm. Our guests can only visit once a month. This is by appointment only. Arrive 10 minutes early. Please bring your own bags and limit appointment time changes. We close promptly at 1pm and 7pm.
First time attendees, come to the parking lot behind the Church and a volunteer will give you directions. For our guests who have mobility issues, a WCHI volunteer will shop for you and bring the food to your car in the Church parking lot. Smoking is not permitted anywhere on Church property.
Requirements: WCHI is required by PA Dept of Agriculture to register all our guests. Thank you, in advance, for your patience. Please present two forms of ID to verify residency (a valid photo ID, if available, and/or utility bills). There are income limits based on the total number of people living in the household. No income paperwork is required.
Please call 484-225-0358 to schedule your initial appointment. Each month when you attend our Pantry distribution, you will be given a new appointment for your next month’s visit.
SENIOR FOOD BOX PROGRAM (SFBP) is offered through WCHI & works to improve the health of low-income seniors (60 years old and older) by supplementing their diets with nutritious USDA foods. Applications are being put on a waiting list until further notice. Questions, please call Gail, SBFP Chair, 610-351-6412.
VOLUNTEERS - WCHI is 100% Volunteer based. WCHI needs volunteers to help at our Food Pantry. Full child abuse clearances are required to volunteer in our Food Pantry. Please go to our website and see the requirements https://tinyurl.com/yck8ajzz Once completed they are good for 5 years.
WCHI GARDEN is located at the Mickley-Prydun Farm. Volunteers are always welcome to maintain our garden, which provides fresh vegetables and herbs for our Pantry guests. Questions, please call Gwen, Garden Chair, 610-379-6823
BINGO at St Peter Roman Catholic Church, 4 South 5th St, Coplay on January 12th, February 9th, Narch 9th, and April 13th. Doors open at 1pm and bingo starts at 2pm. Jackpot is $200. Questions, please call Liz, Bingo Chair, 484-274-6687
FOOD DONATIONS are always needed & can be delivered to the RE/MAX Unlimited office, 1080 Schadt Ave, Whitehall Mon-Fri 9am -5 pm. Questions, please call Shari, 610-730-8067.
Whitehall-Coplay Hunger Initiative (WCHI), the Faith-Based Community, and others are proud to provide these FREE MEALS to low-income Whitehall and Coplay residents twice a month. All are welcome to attend both meals on the 1st Sunday and 3rd Tuesday each month from 4:00-6:00pm. WCHI will post a meal reminder and the meal being served on Facebook and Instagram. It will state if it is an inside sit-down meal, take out, or a version of both. Questions, please call Karen Haberern, Program Chair, at 610-730-3184.
THANK YOU to everyone who provides these meals. The host location obtains the food, prepares the meals, sets up the eating areas, serves the meals, and cleans up. Many, many hands help to make each meal a huge success. WCHI cannot do this much needed Outreach Program without YOU, and we truly are grateful for all your support.
Each meal site does keep attendance records for WCHI. This data is a total from the last four meals in 2025 served by St Peter Roman Catholic Church on 1/5; Whitehall Active Community Center on 1/21; Muslim Association of the Lehigh Valley on 2/2; and Whitehall Bible Fellowship Church on 2/18. Note: many people come for every meal, and some may come once or when they can. This is a total for all four meals: 13 children (ages a baby-17), 24 adults (ages 18-59), and 238 seniors (ages 60+) for a total of 275 meals served to 211 households. Since November 2023, Seniors have been the largest group by age attending our monthly meals. However, these meals are intended for all ages, and everyone is always welcome.
Please mark your calendars. These are WCHI’s upcoming Free Community Meals 4-6 pm or while supplies last:
Sunday, March 2 - St. John the Baptist Catholic Church (in the white Social Hall behind the School), 3024 S. Ruch St, Whitehall 610-262-2260. Please put Coplay in your GPS or Coplay Eatery (which is diagonal to the school). Otherwise, you may end up at our WCHI Garden, which is not near the school.
Tuesday, March 18 - St Elizabeth of Hungary Catholic Church, 618 Fullerton Ave, Whitehall
610-266-0695.
Sunday, April 6 - Muslim Association of the Lehigh Valley, 1988 Schadt Ave, Whitehall 703-346-8698.
Tuesday, April 15 – Shepherd of the Hills Lutheran Church, 4331 Main St, Whitehall 610-730-3184.
WCHI also would like to thank all the meal providers for promoting their meal. And WCHI appreciates each host site providing our Free Community Meal yellow fliers for new and repeat guests to take home with them. Each flier specifies the meal site date, location, and contact phone numbers (as bolded above) through Tuesday, June 17. Other WCHI information is provided on the back side of the 1/2-page flier. Updated meal fliers for the 2nd half of the year will be available in June. These fliers are also provided to our WCHI guests on food distribution days.
We would also like to thank the Whitehall-Coplay Press for including every one of our meals in their Happenings section of the paper. As a community working together, we truly are making a difference in people’s lives. Have a great week.
02-20-2025 WCHI donations with poundage article
written by Shari Noctor, WCHI President
WCHI and I are so grateful for all the community’s generosity in providing Food, Toiletry items, and Pet Food for our guests. I wanted to acknowledge and thank the Churches, School Clubs, Daycares, Businesses & Organizations, and the General Public for donating over 18,714 pounds of needed items in 2024. Note: the numbers listed after each organization is the total poundage they donated for the year.
Sue Butchinski, WCHI Board Member and Pantry Volunteer, contacted all the Faith-Based Organizations in Whitehall and Coplay to see if they would like to participate and donate a specific item of food or do a general food drive monthly for WCHI. Many already do Free Community Meals for us, and we are most grateful.
Four local Churches do participate in the monthly Food Drive Program: First Presbyterian of Hokendauqua (pasta) 1,336; Shepherd of the Hills Lutheran Church (food) 1,333; St. John the Baptist Church (canned tuna) 414; and St Peter Roman Catholic Church (cereal) 1,180. If you would like to do a faith-based food drive for WCHI (it does not need to be monthly), please contact Sue at 484-767-6022. Also, a food donation was made by the Catholic Women’s Society of Giving of the Diocese of Allentown 47.
Schools and Day Cares also collected food items for WCHI. Good Shepherd Catholic School 1,132; Shoemaker Elementary School, Macungie 677; St Elizabeth Regional School 470; The Goddard School of Center Valley 336; The Learning Tree Child Care Center, Whitehall 31; WCSD London Club and Scholastic Scrimmage 56; WCSD Science National Honor Society 208; WCSD Steckel Elementary School 2,078; WCSD Zephyr Elementary School 518.
Other Businesses and Organizations: Girl Scout Troop 6011 40; Hokendauqua Pool Patrons and Staff 50; Horizons at the Village at Whitehall 55+ Community 229; Minsi Trails, Scouting America 433; Smart Warehouse1,340; St Lukes Fitness & Performance Center 324, Taylor Villas 55+ Community 868; WCHI Bingo players 637; Whitehall Lion’s Club 38, Whitehall WAWA 162, and WIC 121.
WCHI also had 19 people and 1 cat donate food, toiletries, and pet food. I have all their names, but I did not print them since I did not have time for this week’s newspaper deadline to ask their permission. Buster, the cat, though said it was ok to use his name. Total poundage for all 20 donations 924.
All donations that came into the Re/Max Unlimited foyer 3,732. Grand Total is a fantastic 18,714 pounds!!
WCHI currently needs the following food items: Cereal, Oatmeal, Pancake mix, 16 oz Peanut Butter, Canned Fruit (in fruit juice or light syrup), and Chicken Noodle Soup. Food donations can be dropped off on the right side of the foyer or shipped to WCHI c/o Re/Max Unlimited Real Estate, 1080 Schadt Ave, Whitehall PA 18052.
Thank you, everyone, for your generosity and continued support. Your food and monetary donations are always greatly appreciated. Together, we all are making a difference in people’s lives.
02-13-2025 HPI Article “American Heart Month and salt intake”
Written by Jenn Dietz, HPI Chair and Pantry Co-Manager
February is deemed “American Heart Month” by the American Heart Association.
The website heart.org covers education on many heart related health topics including healthy eating, fitness and lifestyle tips, recipes, lots of medical information about all things related to heart health, heart attack and stroke symptoms.
Heart disease is once again the leading cause of death in the U.S., according to a new statistical report published Jan 27, 2025. Cardiovascular diseases, which include heart disease and stroke, claimed more lives in the U.S. than all forms of cancer and accidental deaths-the No. 2 and No. 3 causes of death-combined. High blood pressure is one of the major risk factors for heart disease. It occurs when the force of blood flowing through your blood vessels is consistently too high.
Where does the sodium issue come in? Sodium is a mineral that supports vital functions. It’s regulated by your kidneys and helps control your body’s fluid balance. Excess sodium in your bloodstream pulls water into your blood vessels, increasing the amount (volume) of blood inside them. When more blood flows through your blood vessels, blood pressure increases. Increased blood flow makes the heart work harder to pump more blood through the body. Just like you, your heart doesn’t want to work harder.
The body needs less than 500mg of sodium per day to function well and most people consume more than five times that. Most of the sodium in our diets comes from packaged and processed foods. Eating these foods less often can help reduce your sodium intake, lower your blood pressure and prevent high blood pressure from developing.
In the WCHI pantry, we aim to offer canned foods that are low in sodium as often as possible. We have one whole rack dedicated to ‘low or no salt added’ vegetables. We display the healthier items on the top shelves and encourage our guests to check the nutrition labels as they make their choices. You can eat foods with varying amounts of sodium and still achieve a balanced, healthy diet, it just requires a little awareness to keep the balance.
Second Harvest Food Bank uses the guideline that 230 mg of sodium per serving or less is low enough to put those foods in the “choose often” category. We suggest rinsing your canned veggies before cooking and adding your own salt or seasonings so you can keep your intake under control.
I found these interesting sodium myth-busters to share with you.
Myth: Sea salt has less sodium than table salt. Sea salt is popular, but it usually isn’t any less salty. Just like table salt, it typically contains 40% sodium. Myth: My blood pressure is normal, so I don’t need to worry about how much sodium I eat. The American Heart Association recommends no more than 2,300mg a day and moving toward an ideal limit of no more than 1,500 mg per day for most adults. Even cutting back by 1,000 mg a day can help improve your blood pressure and heart health. Myth: I usually don’t salt my food, so I don't eat too much sodium. Over 75% of sodium people in the U.S. consume is estimated to come from processed and ready meals–not the saltshaker. That’s why it’s important to compare Nutrition Facts labels and serving sizes. Learn more from the American Heart Association and heart.org.
02-06-202525 WCHI Pantry Garden Article
Written by Gwen Herzog, Pantry Garden Chair
I am writing this article on Wednesday, January 29th and today was the warmest day we’ve had in weeks. The wind is terrible, but this afternoon the thermometer in my car said it was 51 degrees outside! My cat, Buster, likes to get into the car and go for a ride. Today we got into the car and I only pulled out of the garage and into the driveway for our “ride.” While sitting out there for about twenty minutes, I noticed my magnolia tree looks like it may be getting buds. The warmer weather and the melted snow cover has also started to push the Galanthus, or snow drops, to peek through the mulch on the south side of my house. I am sure that many of the other spring bulbs will also get confused and start to push. Hopefully, their tops will not freeze nor be critter eaten when we get another cold spell.
As much as this warm day made me think about getting the Pantry Garden geared up, I know that vegetable planting season is still about 15 weeks away. I am anticipating that The Seed Farm will provide us with plant and seed support; however, I will most likely start some seeds indoors for my own garden. Buster and his curious nature will ensure that the seeds are pushed way, way down into the soil because he just can’t stay out of or off of anything. Despite his “assistance,” some of the seeds will sprout plants that will survive and provide me with great bounty this summer.
Just like professional athletes during the off-season, Pantry Garden volunteers, such as myself, don’t sit around and wait for the spring thaw. We spend our off-season staying in gardening shape by volunteering inside the food pantry and at monthly BINGO. On distribution Wednesdays in January, volunteers unloaded trucks from Second Harvest including shelf stable food items, refrigerated dairy and juice items, frozen foods, and fresh vegetables and fruit. Fresh carrots, onions, and oranges were down packed from their 50-pound bags into household-sized bags. We also prepared for distribution lettuce in clamp packs and heads of cabbage. All totaled in January, at least 1,500 pounds of fresh vegetables and fruit were shared with our pantry guests.
On January distribution Thursdays, volunteers put up pantry directional signs, coned off walkway safe zones, registered guests, prepared carts for shopping, shopped with guests, re-stocked shelves, pushed full carts out of the pantry, delivered carts to guests’ cars, took cardboard and trash to the dumpsters, and returned empty carts into the pantry. It takes a village to make our pantry run successfully on distribution days!
On January 12th, our Pantry Gardeners also volunteered at WCHI’s BINGO at St. Peter’s Catholic Church located at 4 South 5th Street in Coplay. Volunteers arrived by noon to set up, sold BINGO boards and raffle tickets, verified BINGOs, and weighed and sorted non-perishable food donations received. Volunteers, like me, also enjoy the amazing food, including baked goods, that the St. Peter’s kitchen staff prepare for sale. WCHI’s next Bingo is on Sunday, February 9th. Questions, please call Liz, Bingo Chair, 484-274-6687.
Do you love to garden and need an activity to keep you in gardening shape during the off-season?? Why not consider volunteering at our WCHI food pantry and/or at pantry BINGO? Please email our volunteer coordinator, Sylvia Lee, at [email protected] for more information on joining our team of volunteers.
Stay warm!
01-30-2025 WCHI VOLUNTEER INFORMATION AND A REQUEST
I wanted to write an article on VOLUNTEERING since this is so important for a community. Many people have time and wonderful talents they can offer. Can you help our Whitehall-Coplay Hunger Initiative (WCHI).
WCHI is 100% volunteer. We have many dedicated, selfless volunteers who really enjoy working with each other and helping our food insecure residents obtain one of life’s necessities– FOOD. Without our Volunteers, WCHI could never fulfill our mission of alleviating food insecurity in Whitehall and Coplay. A huge THANK YOU is extended to EVERONE who helps WCHI. Due to increasing food, gas, rent, childcare, & medicine costs, WCHI was pleased to serve 326 households in December consisting of 428 children, 589 adults, and 244 seniors. The households were a 10% increase over December 2023. We anticipate 2025’s attendance to also increase. Learn more www.tinyurl.com/WCHIvolunteer and click on the volunteer tabs. Questions, please contact Sylvia, Volunteer Chair, at [email protected]
I found this Benefits of Community Service article from Western Connecticut State University and wanted to share some of it with you https://tinyurl.com/9wsz5utf They use the word VOLUNTEERING numerous times. To save character space in this article, I will use (V).
“#1: (V) connects you to others - One of the better-known benefits of (V) is the impact on the community. Unpaid (V) are often the glue that holds a community together. (V) allows you to connect to your community and make it a better place. Even helping out with the smallest tasks can make a real difference to the lives of people in need. And (V) is a two-way street: It can benefit you and your family as much as the cause you choose to help. Dedicating your time as a volunteer helps you make new friends, expand your network, and boost your social skills.
One of the best ways to make new friends and strengthen existing relationships is to commit to a shared activity together. (V) is a great way to meet new people, especially if you are new to an area. (V) also strengthens your ties to the community and broadens your support network, exposing you to people with common interests, neighborhood resources, and fun and fulfilling activities.
(V) increases your social and relationship skills. While some people are naturally outgoing, others are shy and have a hard time meeting new people. (V) gives you the opportunity to practice and develop your social skills, since you are meeting regularly with a group of people with common interests. Once you have momentum, it’s easier to branch out and make more friends and contacts.
#2: (V) provides many benefits to both mental and physical health. (V) can provide a healthy boost to your self-confidence, self-esteem, and life satisfaction. You are doing good for others and the community, which provides a natural sense of accomplishment. Your role as a volunteer can also give you a sense of pride and identity. And the better you feel about yourself, the more likely you are to have a positive view of your life and future goals.
(V) combats depression. Reducing the risk of depression is another important benefit of (V). A key risk factor for depression is social isolation. (V) keeps you in regular contact with others and helps you develop a solid support system, which in turn protects you against stress and depression when you’re going through challenging times.
(V) helps you stay physically healthy. (V) is good for your health at any age, but it’s especially beneficial in older adults. Studies have found that those who volunteer have a lower mortality rate than those who do not, even when considering factors like the health of the participants. (V) has also been shown to lessen symptoms of chronic pain or heart disease.
#3: (V) brings fun and fulfillment to your life. (V) is a fun and easy way to explore your interests and passions. Doing volunteer work, you find meaningful and interesting, can be a relaxing, energizing escape from your day-to-day routine of work, school, or family commitments. (V) also provides you with renewed creativity, motivation, and vision that can carry over into your personal and professional life.”
I hope you found this article informative and would consider volunteering with WCHI. Have a great week!!
Whitehall Lions Blood Drive
Shari Noctor has been a member of the Whitehall Lions Club for years. The Co-Presidents (just temporary as joint) are Judy Ott (610-262-7598) and Cindy Polzer (484-223-5730). Both Judy and Cindy help us at the WCHI Pantry on distributions days. The Lions are planning on doing a Miller-Keystone Blood Drive at Shepherd of the Hills Lutheran Church, 4331 Main St, Whitehall across from Eberhardt Motors on a Sunday in the spring from 9am-2 pm. Miller Keystone now requires an interest of 25 people before they will schedule the blood drive. The exact Sunday will be announced once the Lions have 25 people committed to attending. Please call Judy or Cindy to sign up. Exact appointment times will be available once the date is confirmed. Thank you for helping WCHI and the Lions.
Shari
Shari Noctor, President
Whitehall-Coplay Hunger Initiative
1080 Schadt Ave
Whitehall, PA 18052
484-225-0358
[email protected]
01-09-2025 Article - Written by Jenn Dietz, HPI Chair and Pantry Co-Manager
Happy New Year from the Whitehall Coplay Hunger Initiative Pantry! We have some highlights of the year
to share. As you may remember, WCHI is a member of the Healthy Pantry Initiative through Feeding
Pennsylvania. The goal is to increase access to healthy foods and beverages as well as provide
information on chronic diseases to food pantry clients. We encourage consumption of more nutritious
foods through environmental changes as well as direct nutrition education such as healthy food tastings,
demonstrations, and recipes. An additional six pantries have joined the Healthy Pantry Initiative, bringing
the total to 20 pantries in the program.
A survey that some of our guests filled out in the spring indicated that many people appreciate receiving
fresh fruits and vegetables and continue to request a variety of fresh foods. We regularly order bulk
produce from Second Harvest and distribute vegetables that we grow in our WCHI Garden. Over the past
two months we have given out fresh mangoes, apples, pears, onions, carrots, cabbage, sweet potatoes
and pineapples, in addition to frozen brussels sprouts, blueberries and strawberries. We are proud of
offering this great variety of foods.
This year the team at Second Harvest installed 14 new raised garden beds on their property and they
harvested 421 pounds of produce. The vegetables and 1,248 herb plants were shared with guests as
plants to grow at home, as well as ingredients in the food samples they gave at pantry visits, including
ours, over the summer. We were able to share some basil and tomato plants this year and hope to
encourage our guests to grow some veggies at home this year, too.
At WCHI, we enjoy sharing healthy food samples and recipes with our guests to highlight foods that are in
the pantry that may be unfamiliar and encourage everyone to try something new or get creative with
new ways to prepare foods. Throughout this past year, we offered tastings of Stove Top spoon bread,
oatmeal bites, tomato bruschetta, oatmeal raisin bars, vegan "macaroni & cheese", cheesy broccoli
soup, chili mac and cornbread pudding. The survey showed that 36 of those who responded to the
survey had tried new food because of these offerings! That is the kind of progress we are happy to see.
While guests are shopping in our WCHI Pantry, we talk with them to find out their dietary concerns and
cooking styles. WCHI does our best to help them make choices that fit their needs. We help educate our
guests as they make their selections each month by paying attention to signage around the pantry
indicating choices that are higher in fiber or lower in sodium and sugar. Our guests have reported that the
foods offered at the WCHI Pantry helps improve their health. Hearing that our neighbors are working
toward better health is reassuring us that our efforts are making a difference in helping our community.
Please visit the websites for www.FeedingeA,Q(g and the PA Healthy Pantry Initiative
https://tinyurl.com/.bdnu1xx3 to find recipes and learn more about how these programs are helping our
neighbors.
01-02-2025 WCHI Pantry Garden Article
Written by Gwen Herzog, Pantry Garden Chair
As we kick off 2025, I wanted to recap a few open items from our 2024 Pantry Garden. If you recall, we still had radishes and spinach planted, both covered and uncovered, as well as parsley, cilantro, and oregano. We anticipated that we would be able to continue to harvest these items into December provided we had some good weather. Unfortunately, after the rain we had in November, we had extremely cold weather for about a week.
On Sunday, December 8th we had a very warm day, and I was able to spend a couple of hours in the garden. I took down our WCHI Pantry Garden sign, emptied the water barrels, and drained the water tank. The hose had some frozen spots, so I laid it out in the sun to thaw and drain out. Unfortunately, when I checked the spinach and radishes, I found the spinach to have white spots and the radishes were limp and frozen. In addition, the oregano, cilantro, and parsley were frozen. As a result of losing the last of our crops, I used the remaining straw in the shed and mulched the rest of the open beds. Full disclosure, I was lazy and did not weed the beds before putting down the straw. I am writing this article on December 24th, and due to the recent snowfall, I will have to wait for a warm day to make my way down to the garden to put away our hose and to store the barrels in the shed.
I found it interesting that our groundhog friend who resided under our shed has been noticeably absent from the garden. The piece of fence near the gate hinge was found to be pushed aside, thus allowing him to escape. This fence repair has taken top billing on our late winter/early spring work list.
Hannah from The Seed Farm received our soil report from the Penn State extension and in her words, “The results look really good.” She said we will want to amend our soil with a balanced fertilizer to bring up the levels of phosphorus and potassium, but otherwise, the soil is great.
Although we were unable to provide fresh vegetables from our Pantry Garden on our December distribution days, we were fortunate that Second Harvest had several items available for our guests. These included carrots, yams, onions, cabbage, pears, mangoes, pineapples, and apples. Most of these items arrived in bulk boxes or in 50 lb. bags, so our pantry volunteers down packed these into Wawa bags for grab-and-go distribution to guests. Each distribution had different items available, but all our guests had access to a nice selection of these nutritious foods.
Did you know that during November and December the pantry received thousands of pounds of non-perishable food items that you, our local community, graciously donated? Every can or box donated makes a real difference to a food-insufficient households. If you follow our Facebook page, you have seen that we had no less than 16 schools, businesses, churches, housing communities, and civic organizations organize food drives for WCHI, plus we had additional, valuable donations received at the Re/Max Unlimited office at 1080 Schadt Avenue, Whitehall. Our volunteers picked up, unloaded, date checked, and sorted all the donations we received. All totaled, we received 4,425 pounds of non-perishable food items and toiletries. Our community is FABULOUS!
Finally, I want to recognize the tireless efforts of our WCHI volunteers who make everything we do possible. I look forward to continuing to volunteer with all of you in 2025! Email our volunteer coordinator, Sylvia Lee, at [email protected] for more information on joining our AMAZING team.
Happy New Year!
12-26-2024 Whitehall-Coplay Hunger Initiative’s Current Programs
written by Shari Noctor
OUR MISSION: To alleviate food insecurity in Whitehall & Coplay
WCHI CHOICE FOOD PANTRY We serve Whitehall & Coplay residents. Located at St John the Baptist Church, 3024 S Ruch St, Whitehall, our Pantry is open on both the 2nd and 3rd Thursdays of the month from 9am-1pm and from 4:30-7pm. Our guests can only visit once a month. This is by appointment only. Arrive 10 minutes early. Please bring your own bags and limit appointment time changes. We close promptly at 1pm and 7pm.
First time attendees, come to the parking lot behind the Church and a volunteer will give you directions. For our guests who have mobility issues, a WCHI volunteer will shop for you and bring the food to your car in the Church parking lot. Smoking is not permitted anywhere on Church property.
Requirements: WCHI is required by PA Dept of Agriculture to register all our guests. Thank you, in advance, for your patience. Please present two forms of ID to verify residency (a valid photo ID, if available, and/or utility bills). There are income limits based on the total number of people living in the household. No income paperwork is required.
Please call 484-225-0358 to schedule your initial appointment. Each month when you attend our Pantry distribution, you will be given a new appointment for your next month’s visit.
SENIOR FOOD BOX PROGRAM (SFBP) is offered through WCHI & works to improve the health of low-income seniors (60 years old and older) by supplementing their diets with nutritious USDA foods. Applications are being put on a waiting list until further notice. Questions, please call Gail, SBFP Chair, 610-351-6412.
VOLUNTEERS - WCHI is 100% Volunteer based. WCHI needs volunteers to help at our Food Pantry. Full child abuse clearances are required to volunteer in our Food Pantry. Please go to our website and see the requirements https://tinyurl.com/yck8ajzz Once completed they are good for 5 years.
WCHI GARDEN is located at the Mickley-Prydun Farm. Volunteers are always welcome to maintain our garden, which provides fresh vegetables and herbs for our Pantry guests. Questions, please call Gwen, Garden Chair, 610-379-6823
BINGO at St Peter Roman Catholic Church, 4 South 5th St, Coplay on January 12th, February 9th, Narch 9th, and April 13th. Doors open at 1pm and bingo starts at 2pm. Jackpot is $200. Questions, please call Liz, Bingo Chair, 484-274-6687
FOOD DONATIONS are always needed & can be delivered to the RE/MAX Unlimited office, 1080 Schadt Ave, Whitehall Mon-Fri 9am -5 pm. Questions, please call Shari, 610-730-8067.
- Copyright © 2020 Whitehall-Coplay Hunger Initiative. All rights reserved. Unless otherwise indicated, the content of this Site, including the design, text, graphics and the selection and arrangement thereof, is the property of Whitehall-Coplay Hunger Initiative. The reproduction of any materials contained on this Site without the prior written consent of Whitehall Coplay Hunger Initiative, or in the case of third party materials, the owner of that content, is strictly prohibited. You may not alter or remove any trademark, copyright or other notice from any content on this Site.
[email protected] | 484-225-0358 - Proudly powered by Weebly