I recently saw the nice message below in a December 2025 Daphne’s Diary magazine. Even though it is March, I want to share it with you. It made me smile, and I thought about our free community meals.

“Every day, I ride past and see you wave to me. Alone but always smiling, you look so friendly. I wonder if you’re lonely. When’s the last time someone came? Do you feel forgotten? Like nobody knows your name?

“Today I cycled by again. This time I stopped as well. I waved and saw your face light up, then rang on your doorbell. In my hand, I have a note and it’s addressed to you. It’s a little poem I made up. The sentiment is true.

“Hello there, friendly lady. Do you have plans for Christmas Day? You’re very welcome at our house. Go on; what do you say?”

Do you know someone who may need a friend and may like to share a meal with you? Since 2016, the Whitehall and Coplay faith-based community and others have been proud to work with Whitehall-Coplay Hunger Initiative to provide free community meals to low-income Whitehall-Coplay School District residents.

Thank you to all our free meal partners who provide this much-needed outreach program.

All age groups are welcome to attend both free community meals 4-6 p.m. the first Sunday and third Tuesday of the month. WCHI will post a meal reminder on both Facebook and Instagram. The meal being served will also be posted, and it will state if it is a sit-down or takeout meal or a version of both.

Thank you to our January, February and March meal partners.

• Jan. 4: St. Peter Roman Catholic Church served 63 meals.

• Jan. 20: Whitehall Active Community Center served 62 meals.

• Feb. 1: Muslim Association of the Lehigh Valley served 100 meals.

• Feb. 17: Whitehall Wawa provided the meal at St. John the Baptist Roman Catholic Church and served 63 meals.

• March 1: Faith Evangelical Lutheran Church

• March 17: Whitehall Bible Fellowship Church

I did not have the March meal attendance data as of press time to post the meals served.

Some guests come to every meal, some come when they can, and some are brand-new guests. We are very appreciative of all our community partners who provide these meals and to all our guests who attend them. Thank you, everyone!

There is no meal April 5 since it falls on Easter Sunday. The next meal will be held April 21 at Shepherd of the Hills Lutheran Church, 4331 Main St., Whitehall.

For the entire 2026 free community meal schedule, go to our website at whitehallcoplayhungeriniitative.org.

If anyone has any questions about the free community meals or would like to host one for 2027, call Karen Haberern, program chair, at 610-730-3184.