Shari's Update - 3/16/2023

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.

Requirements:  We serve Whitehall Twp and Coplay Boro residents. Please present two forms of ID to verify residency (a valid photo ID, if available, and/or utility bills). Income limits apply per the household size. For example: a household size of one person can have monthly income of $2,095 or less to qualify; a household of four people can have monthly income of $4,278 or less to qualify. No income paperwork is required. Please call 484-225-0358 to schedule your appointment.  

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.  A WCHI volunteer will shop for you and bring the food to your car in the Church parking lot.  No smoking is permitted anywhere on Church property.

WCHI is proud that Second Harvest Food Bank selected us to be one of three Healthy Food Pantry Initiatives (HPI) 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 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, condiments, snacks, coffee, 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.  Our guests tell us that they really like our Choice Pantry since they get to choose the items they will eat and the toiletries they will use. Questions, call Jenn Dietz, HPI Program Chair, at 717-880-8546.

SENIOR FOOD BOX PROGRAM (SFBP) offered through WCHI 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 $1,580 to qualify for a senior box.  In a four-person household, the maximum monthly income for all four people must be at or below $3,250 for the senior to receive a box. These limits just changed in March.

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 one. 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.

WCHI is committed to helping as many low-income Whitehall and Coplay residents as possible in our area that qualify for 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, SFBP Program Chair, at 610-351-6412.

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