Last month, I wrote we had picked 291.21 pounds of white potatoes at our work night Sept. 21, and we were anticipating another 100 pounds at our work night Sept. 29. We got close, picking 91.42 pounds for a grand total of 382.63 pounds!

All the potatoes were placed on racks in the pantry, single file, not touching, to allow the dirt and the potato skins to dry. Photos of the racks were posted on our Facebook page, and we received a lot of positive comments and recommendations from the community. Thank you for your feedback!

On Oct. 7, the day before our first distribution day, Whitehall-Coplay Hunger Initiative treasurer Allen Handwerk and I weighed out 2-pound bags of potatoes for pantry guests. We each used a scale and added potatoes to Wawa bags to achieve the desired weight.

Each shopping household had the opportunity to take a bag of potatoes until gone. The potatoes lasted through the first week and the morning of the second week.

At our work night Oct. 6, we picked 45.76 pounds of garden vegetables, including herbs, tomatoes, zucchini, squash, peppers and jalapeños. These items, along with 44 pounds of other garden donations from the community, were shared at our first distribution.

At our work night Oct. 13, we picked 42.32 pounds of garden vegetables, including jalapeño peppers, sweet peppers, squash and herbs, along with community donations of herbs and vegetables that were shared during our second week distribution.

Thanks to Second Harvest, we were also able to provide red onions, white onions, oranges, apples, cabbage and broccoli to our pantry guests.

I took some photos Oct. 30 of the radishes our Girl Scout volunteers had planted at our Oct. 13 work night. Jenn Dietz requested these to post on our Facebook page. Earlier this week, I sent her photos of some sweet potatoes the Girl Scouts and I picked at our Oct. 27 work night.

Jenn already had a couple of nice photos of the garlic she, John Halko and I planted at our work night Oct. 20.

The weather this week was mostly warm and sunny, but the heavy frost from last week and the week before had killed off most of the summer vegetable plants that were still in the ground. This week, Sue Butchinski and Sylvia Lee pulled tomato cages and tomato and pepper plants, so all that remains in the ground are sweet potatoes, cilantro, radishes and a few small winter squash.

While we had a great growing year for peppers, potatoes, zucchini and winter squash, we are currently at a total of 1,354 pounds, or about 9.7%, short of last year’s total of 1,500 pounds. I want to take the opportunity to recognize and thank everyone who contributed their excess garden produce to our pantry for a year-to-date total of 360 pounds.

Our pantry guests appreciate the extra vegetables and herbs you made available to them. Additionally, we have shared 575 pounds of excess produce with other food pantries and soup kitchens through the Lehigh Valley Plant-A-Row network.

While I was at the garden Oct. 30, some masonry workers were preparing the farmhouse yard for a new walkway to the front door. Because they will be mixing concrete on site, I suggested they use the rainwater we have caught for the pantry garden. We will set up a hose by the fence, so they can access the water whenever they need it.

I am thrilled that in a small way, we will help with the restoration of this beautiful structure. If you haven’t been to the Mickley-Prydun Farm to see the farmhouse exterior renovations, stop by to take a look or take a long-distance peek from the Ironton Rail Trail.

Over the past two years, the house has been transformed via brick coat removal, repointing, windows, roof, chimney, gutters and now an improved stone walkway to the front door. You can find the farmhouse and the pantry garden by using the address 3540 S. Ruch St., Whitehall. We are just behind the housing community located at Lehigh and Seventh streets.

Thank you for your donations of seasonable produce, nonperishable food items, toiletries and financial contributions throughout 2026.

As a reminder, donations may be dropped off 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Mondays-Fridays in the vestibule at Re/Max Unlimited, 1080 Schadt Ave., Whitehall.

If you would like your donation to be picked up or if you prefer to drop your donation directly at the pantry, call or text me at 610-379-6823.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Editor’s note: This article was written by Gwen Herzog, pantry garden chair.