The Whitehall Area Hunger Initiative started as a concept with a goal to alleviate food insecurity in Whitehall and Coplay. The concept of giving food for free in a systematic program involves a wide range of partners and affiliates.

The organization came together under the leadership of Shari Noctor. At the organization’s first recognition breakfast Nov. 7, Noctor was recognized as Volunteer of the Year. Fellowship Community provided the setting and the breakfast.

Noctor took to the podium to explain the program and the impressive list of partners supporting the campaign. She started her journey, she said, with a visit to the township’s offices to see if she could assist as a volunteer. Although Noctor lives well north of the township, she works here.

“I make money here. I wanted to give back to the community,” she said.

She became the organizer for Relay for Life, an annual 24-hour event where cancer survivors gather to celebrate their success. It is held at Whitehall-Coplay School District’s stadium.

Whitehall-Coplay Middle School Principal Pete Bugbee suggested Noctor attend a Communities That Care (CTC) meeting. Denise Continenza introduces CTC concepts to local communities and heads up the local organization.

Noctor took on the hunger project, which began in CTC meetings. According to a survey of local students, 16 percent of sixth-graders worried where their next meal would come from. High school students reported they skipped at least one meal a month.

Noctor enlisted the help of local churches to offer free community meals. To date, there are 14 active members. The first free meal at Faith Lutheran Church, Whitehall, in 2016 attracted 13 guests. The latest meal attracted 115. The free meals are scheduled for the first Sunday and the third Tuesday of every month.

Partners in the program include 4H and Penn State Cooperative Extension, BB&T, Cops ‘n’ Kids, Lehigh County Juvenile Probation, Kellyn Foundation, Lehigh Valley Food Policy Council, Lehigh Valley Health Network, Peoples Security Bank, Second Harvest, Toys for Tots, Whitehall Area Rotary Club, Whitehall Lions Club, Whitehall Township and Whitehall-Coplay School District.

There are creative offshoots from the program. Leah Saliby, a sixth-grade teacher at WCMS, started Snack Pack Pals, a program to provide food for the neediest children over long weekends. The program supports 100 students with help from the middle school’s Leo Club.

The latest initiative is a summer breakfast program that started this year. Data shows that 52 percent of students receive free or subsidized breakfasts and lunches. The breakfast program was designed to continue the source of nutrition. As the program continues, it will be rebranded as a summer breakfast camp and includes programs for summer reading. The camp is held at St. John’s Lutheran Church, Fullerton.

Seniors are supported with SUNShine Boxes, a federally funded program administered by Second Harvest Food Bank. In the six-county area, 2,450 food boxes were distributed.

The initiative is growing - literally. Employees at Lafarge, Cementon, planted and cultivated 800 pounds of fresh vegetables for the Whitehall Food Pantry. Whitehall has a community garden at the Whitehall Historical Preservation Society, where anyone interested in gardening can hone their skills.

Want to assist? Donations can be made to the Whitehall Area Hunger Initiative and sent to Shari Noctor, 1080 Schadt Ave., Whitehall, 18052.

Local food pantries also look for your support, including Whitehall Food Pantry, 3900 Mechanicsville Road. The contact is Doreen Wagner.

Coplay Food Pantry is located at the municipal building on Fourth Street. The contact is Louise Kren.