During the Catasauqua Communities That Care meeting May 20, Lois Reed, organizer of the Catasauqua Communities Care Program, discussed the future of the weekend backpack food program for students in need. She noted the closure of the Bethlehem site of Feed the Children has her concerned.

“It’s a huge hit to the program,” she said.

Reed reported since the C3P isn’t an official food bank, it has not received anything from Second Harvest Food Bank for a while. Feed the Children has provided a lot of the items for the program, particularly toiletries for the Roughie Pantry at Catasauqua High School.

According to Reed, she will need to purchase more items now to fill the void. While she said there are enough funds to get them through the summer, she is worried about the next school year.

Reed wondered if anyone on the CTC had business contacts they could connect with to ask for sponsors or for the businesses to hold food drives for the program. She noted item-specific food drives are helpful, so she can make sure there are enough of each item to serve the approximate 130 students receiving bags.

It was noted Kim Flueso, CASD career coordinator, might be able to help with making contacts. It was also mentioned Julie Miller, of Clean Organize Repeat, has a lot of clients who often donate items, which might be helpful in this situation, and Treatment Trends recovery centers can help with drives as well.

In other business, it was noted Catasauqua Community Thrift Shop will fund the 2027-28 Big Brothers Big Sisters program. Amy Dymond-Jones, Catasauqua Middle School counselor and CTC coordinator, noted the current funding will be extended since it took most of the year to get the program underway.

It was also reported there will be some recruitment efforts at the high school level to help get more Bigs to connect with the waiting list of Littles.

Planning continued on the group’s parent involvement event. It is tentatively set for noon-3 p.m. Aug. 29 at the middle school, but nothing is yet set in stone. It was recommended a save the date notice be sent to the CTC members and partner organizations to really start structuring and planning. Coalition members suggested themes focusing on wellness and safety.

The other CTC members congratulated Shelley Keffer, Catasauqua Area School District coordinator of student services, for receiving the Step Forward 2026 Special Education Award from the Arc of Lehigh and Northampton Counties.

The group welcomed Ruth Amadio, the new pastor of Presbyterian Church of Catasauqua. Amadio previously mentioned wanting to get more involved and learn about the needs of the community, so she was invited to join the coalition.

The next CTC meeting is set for 7:45 a.m. June 17 at the district administration board room, 201 N. 14th St.