There are many working poor people living right here in Whitehall and Coplay. Sad as it is, this is virtually everywhere in the United States today. Let me try to explain what is happening.

Pennsylvania’s state minimum wage rate is $7.25 per hour. This is the same as the current federal minimum wage rate. The minimum wage applies to most employees in Pennsylvania with limited exceptions, including tipped employees, some student workers and other exempt occupations.

The Pennsylvania minimum wage was last changed in 2008, when it was raised $0.10 from $7.15 to $7.25.

An employee making $7.25 an hour working a 40-hour-work-week job for 52 weeks makes $15,080 a year before federal, state and local taxes are deducted.

An average rent for a three-bedroom apartment in Whitehall is $1,215 a month. Multiply that by 12, and housing alone costs $14,580. Then there are other costs including utilities, food, clothing, car maintenance, auto and renter’s insurance and gas. This is why most people are working two and three jobs to make ends meet. Most of these people do not have any extra money to put in a savings account or go on a vacation.

If a $500 car repair is needed, for many of us, we might not like it, but we can handle the payment. For the working poor, who are the best people to budget their money, a $500 repair puts a huge amount of stress on the person because they need to have a car to get to work, and something else cannot be paid. Usually the utility bills and a huge reduction of food are the first items to go.

One reason for the downturn in wages in the Lehigh Valley is the loss of skilled jobs with Mack Trucks and Bethlehem Steel and increased warehousing and fast-food jobs. Also, older people losing their jobs due to companies closing are having difficulties getting hired.

In years past, food pantries were used for emergency food maybe four times a year. Today, many working poor rely on the additional food they receive just once a month. The stereotypes that these are deadbeat people or people working the welfare system are just not true.

My niece and her family are the working poor. I buy all the kids clothes. To the public, the kids don’t look poor, but the family does struggle to make ends meet. The working poor work so hard and truly need help. Many let their pride get in the way. Please know there are others like you, and there is no shame in this. I was poor growing up myself, so I understand the stereotypes out there.

Whitehall Area Hunger Initiative is trying to help our community residents who definitely are in need. Please reach out to your neighbors and family members and let them know that we do free community meals on the third Tuesday of every month. Tell them not to let their pride get in the way of a good, free hot meal.

This month, Weis Market Pharmacy will be giving flu shots that are free with most insurances at our Nov. 21 meal at St. John’s Lutheran Church, 835 Third St., Fullerton, from 3:30 p.m. to 6 p.m. No appointments are needed.

Also starting in January, we are offering two free community meals a month. We are delighted to add the first Sunday of the month to attract many families who can’t make the meal on the third Tuesday because of getting home late from work. The meals are open to everyone - singles, couples and families. This first Sunday meal will also be at St. John’s Lutheran Church 4-6:30 p.m. Jan. 7. Our community meal committee has served 1,087 meals from January through October this year.

We also provide Snack and Bath Pack Pals with the Whitehall-Coplay School District and have helped 1,360 students with more than 26,000 items in 2017. Our summer breakfast program served a total of 1,600 breakfast, lunch and weekend meals when school was out over the summer.

A big thank you goes to Diane Elliott, of New Bethany Ministries in Bethlehem, and Ross Marcus, of Community Action Committee of the Lehigh Valley, who gave me the insight to explain to you why we have a large number of working poor in our area. This came up in conversation in a breakout session of the Lehigh Valley Food Policy Food Access meeting I attended in October.