The Hunger Initiative is looking at all areas of hunger in both Whitehall and Coplay. This story is on the young elementary students in grades kindergarten through 8 in the Whitehall-Coplay School District.

As you may know, under the leadership of Leah Saliby, an eighth-grade English teacher at the middle school, the Snack Pack Pals program started to help the neediest of children in kindergarten through eighth grade. Snack Packs are several food items sent home over long weekends with students who have severe hunger needs at home to help them have something to eat before they return back to school, where they can get free or reduced-price breakfast and lunch. More than half of the district’s student population qualifies for the free or reduced-price lunch program, so the need is very real in Whitehall and Coplay. Some of these children rely on the breakfast and lunch programs as their only source of nutritious meals.

Saliby’s ultimate goal was to help five students in each grade from kindergarten through eighth grade weekly throughout the school year. The funds did not come in to effectively start this program for every week of the school year, so she decided to implement the program for the long weekend school breaks.

Saliby learned that 16.1 percent of the sixth-graders worry about where their next meal is coming from. This, unfortunately, is probably true for all the grades.

Saliby asked middle school students to make donations to the cause along with the clubs at the high school, such as Key Club and Zephyr Nation. Hundreds of students were enthusiastic and more than willing to help their fellow classmates.

For the winter break of nine days, Snack Packs were sent home with 57 students. This was a huge success.

The numbers remained the same for the Presidents Day holiday of four days and are anticipated for spring break of five days.

Saliby is gearing up for spring break March 24-28. She now is in dire need to restock the food that was distributed to the kids for the Presidents Day holiday. She will need items or money to buy food by March 15. Her team will assemble the bags March 17.

Your help would be greatly appreciated.

If you would like to donate money, please make your check payable to Whitehall-Coplay School District and put Snack Pack Pals in the memo section. Please mail this to Whitehall-Coplay School District, c/o Michael Malay, business manager, 2940 MacArthur Road, Whitehall, 18052.

If you would like to make a food donation, Saliby is most in need of shelf-stable milk, macaroni and cheese boxes, fruit cups and Chef Boyardee cans. Other food items needed include small boxes of cold cereal, fruit cups, applesauce cups, juice boxes/pouches, fruit snacks, packs of cheese/peanut butter crackers, graham crackers, granola bars, individual servings of macaroni and cheese, and microwaveable bowls of Chef Boyardee.

If you would like to help in other ways or have any questions, contact Saliby at salibyl@whitehallcoplay.org.