Tucked away in the basement of the Coplay Municipal Building is a nondescript room; quarters for the community food bank run under the auspices of the Coplay Recreation & Welfare Association.

The more than two-decades-old food pantry serves families, small and large, and seniors who reside in the borough.

The task of distributing the food falls to Louise and Ray Krenn and their volunteers. They handle the boxes and cans of food on the pantry's shelves, along with turkeys, ham, chicken, bread and cakes in its refrigerators and freezers.

In its formative years and beyond, Joyce Long was among the volunteers who got the food bank off the ground to serve those in need. In more recent years, Ann Dickman served as the food bank's director. The Krenns have headed the food pantry for nearly two years.

The large room in the basement of the municipal building, which decades ago was the shop room for Coplay High School students, is fully equipped to serve residents. Although not as large as some food pantries in the region, the Coplay Recreation & Welfare Association reports its food staples provide nutrition and an ample supply of a variety of food.

The food bank presently serves between 27 and 29 clients, with the total sometimes jumping as high as 35. Food is distributed the second Tuesday of each month. One woman, Louise Krenn said, has 10 in her family.

From canned tuna to canned vegetables and fruit, boxed macaroni and cheese to rice, soup and other items, the amount of food given is determined by the size of the family.

"Each person when first coming to the food bank fills out a form," Louise Krenn said. The data sought is mostly general in nature.

The food bank provides more than just food. Items as basic as toilet paper and hygiene items are included as well, depending on availability.

Every month a woman donates large items of food, including roll-up blankets.

The association receives a great deal of support and cooperation during food drives held throughout the year by the borough's three churches, a Girl Scout troop, mail carriers in the borough and residents who just drop off bags of food at the municipal building. At times some individuals provide a financial contribution as well.

Along with the monthly food bank operations, the food bank provides it clients with a special dinner they cook at their homes during Christmas and Easter and a picnic-style meal in the summer. The holiday meals cater to the family's request and include ham, turkey, chicken breast, stuffing, cranberry sauce and more.

The Krenns said the time involved for the food bank personnel involves much more than the day the clients come for their monthly allotment. It also involves the packaging and filling the pantry shelves with fresh food.