According to Gary Millspaugh, exec director of Allentown Rescue Mission, a lot of pressure will be placed on LV food banks once school lets out. A large percentage of kids in Allentown (and elsewhere in the Lehigh Valley) take advantage of free breakfast and lunch while at school. Obviously, this option will not be available over the summer when the schools are closed. Rising food and gas prices place a huge strain on lower income families, who will turn to local food banks for help. But our food banks already have a low inventory.This is a problem that needs to be addressed sooner rather than later.
Allentown Rescue Mission has already decided to allocate $24,000 for six local food banks, which comes down to $1,000 per week for the first month of the summer. The idea was to give them gift cards from local grocers (such as Giant and Wegmans) so the food bank could purchase the items they needed rather than rely on donated items that might not be the best fit. Millspaugh will attempt to get these stores to supply $500 cards for $450 or even $400. Our Executive Director (ED) planned to handle the negotiations to see if that could be done.
In addition to the good work being done by the rescue mission, reader Karenemt has informed me that a new food bank will be opening on June 7 at Salem United Methodist Church, 1401 W Linden St, Allentown, PA 18102 Phone (610) 432-2577. It will be open the first and third Saturdays of each month, running from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. Saturday hours make it possible to to reach the "working poor," who may have needs but are unable to access a food pantry during the typical daytime hours. This will be a "choose your own" food from what is available food bank versus the "prebagged" food type.
Below you will find a listing of all local food banks and soup kitchens (sp) that I can find. If you know of any that aren't listed here, please let me know so I can add it. My goal is to create a permanent link to area food banks on my left sidebar.
Agape food bank
5229 Route 873
Schnecksville, Pa 18078
610-767-2482
Allentown Ecumenical Food Bank
421 W. Chew St or 534 W. Chew(admin)
Allentown, Pa 18102
Linda Gentile
610-821-1332
610-439-8039
lccc@lcconfchurch.org
610-433-6421(lccc)
Allentown Rescue Mission
355 W. Hamilton St, Allentown, PA
(You can drop off food and supplies at the Mission any week day, from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., or call Bill Dickinson at 610-740-5500, ext. 14, for other times or arrangements.)
Bethel Bible Fellowship Church
418 Elm St.
Emmaus, Pa 18049
610-965-2682
Catasauqua/Community Partnership Food Bank
122 Union St.
Catasauqua, Pa 18032
610-264-8366
Central Food Bank
829 Turner St.
Allentown, Pa 18102
610-165-4815
Grace Episcopal Church
5th & Linden
Allentown, Pa 18102
Patricia McNamara, Director
610-435-7245
Gracefoodbank@aol.com
Jefferson place food pantry
750 St. John St.
Allentown, Pa
484-165-4429
Jewish family services food bank
2004 Allen St.
Allentown, PA
484-165-4429
Jordan Lutheran Church
5103 Snowdrift Rd.
Orefield, Pa
610-395-5912
610-395-2423
jordanlutheran@verizon.net
Meals on Wheels - Lehigh County
4234 Dorney Park Rd.
Allentown, Pa 18104
Pamela Bechtel, Executive Director
610-398-2563
610-398-7088
Meals on Wheels - Northampton County/Bethlehem area
4240 Fritch Drive
Bethlehem, Pa 18020
Jim Waters, Development
610-691-1030
610-691-1775
jimw@meanlsonwheelspa.org
Mosser Village Family Center
614 S. Carlisle St.
Allentown, Pa 18109
610-820-5504
Nazareth Area Food Bank,
St. John’s Lutheran Church,
200 S. Broad Street,
Nazareth, PA 18064.
Contact Elizabeth Huth, director (610-759-0821) or Jim Byrnes, president of the board of directors (610-923-0821).
New Bethany EC Everlasting Life Ministries
224 N. 6th St.
Allentown, Pa 18102
610-434-1477
New Bethany Ministries
337 Wyandotte St.
Bethlehem, Pa 18015
Reverend Bill Kuntze, Exec Dir.
610-691-5602
610-866-3427
newbethany@newbethanyministries.org
Northampton Area Food Bank
1601 Canal Street
Northampton, Pa 18067
Pamela Kametz
610-262-8030
Northern Lehigh Food Bank
7884 Center St.
Slatington/Emerald, Pa 18080
Dale Breyfogle
610-767-9525
Salem United Methodist Church,
1401 W Linden St, Allentown, PA 18102
Phone (610) 432-2577
Salvation Army
144 N. Eighth St.
Allentown, Pa 18101
Capt Thomas Dressler
610-432-0129
610-432-8149
EPA_AllentownCitadel@use.salvationarmy.org
Second Harvest Food Bank of LV & NE Pa
2045 Harvest Way
Allentown, Pa 18104
Ann McManus, Director
610-434-0875
610-435-9540
amcmanus@caclv.org
Sk - Ecumenical kitchen
179 Chew St.
Allentown, Pa 18102
Mrs. Mildred Scrak
610-866-8660
Sk - Mollard Hospitality Center -New Bethany Ministries
337 Wyandotte St.
Bethlehem, Pa 18015
610-691-5602
610-866-3427
Sk - Salvation Army
521 Pembroke Road
Bethlehem, Pa 18018
James Labbe
610-867-4681
Sk - St Paul Evangelical Lutheran Chruch
36 S. 8th St.
Allentown, Pa 18101
Charles Brannon LC Conf of Churches, SK Coord
610-435-9065
cbrannon@lcconfchurch.org
484-664-2994
South Bethlehem Neighborhood Center
700 Evans St.
Bethlehem, Pa 18105
Angela Baez
610-865-1791
610-865-4605
St Stephan's Episcopal Church/Whitehall Food Bank
3900 Mechanicsville Rd.
Whitehall, Pa 18052
Donna Scott
610-435-3901
610-262-6686 DS
Sk - Trinity Episcopal Soup Kitchen
44 East Market St.
Bethlehem, Pa 18018
Reverand Elizabeth Miller, Deacon and Soup Kitchen Coordinator
610-867-4741
610-867-5206
liz@trinitybeth.org
West Bethlehem Food Bank
514 3rd St.
Bethlehem, Pa 18018
Suzanne Beam
610-865-8216
Thanks for listing these.
ReplyDeleteThanks as well Bernie.
ReplyDeleteI encourage everyone to go through their cupboards. There's good food in there that for whatever reason you're not eating / going to eat. Get it out of there and in the hands of people who desperately need it.
You're grocery shopping and see a great deal on canned goods, one too good to pass up? Buy a case and donate it.
Every bit helps.
Most schools let out this week, so it would help to drop off whatever you can. A little can go a long way. Here's the type of items that will do the most good:
ReplyDeleteCanned Foods
Fruits and Juices
Meat (spam, tuna, deviled ham, chicken, turkey)
Meat Meals (chili, beef stew, chicken and dumplings)
Canned Pasta meals
Pork and Beans
Soups
Tomatoes and Vegetables
Baby and Other Needs
Baby Food and Formula
Diapers
Feminine hygiene products
Breakfast Cereal
Boxed Meals
Peanut Butter and Jelly
Pasta and Sauces
Rice
If anyone knows of food banks or soup kitchens not listed here, please note it in a comment. Unfortunately, blogger has been erratic this morning, but the comments seem finally to be working again.
For the Slate Belt Region:
ReplyDeletePortland-Upper Mt. Bethel Food Pantry
United Methodist Church in Portland
Sherma Godshalk, Director
P.O. Box 69, Portland, PA 18351
(570) 987-5412 (home) or (570) 897-5191 (pantry)
Tues. 7-8:30pm & Wed. 11am-12:30pm
Salvation Army Pantry - Pen Argyl
301 West Main St, Pen Argyl
(610) 863-6677
Hope UCC Wind Gap and St. Joseph Episcopal in West Bangor had food banks but I'm not sure if they are still active.
There are also a few environmentally friendly donations I plan to try to make this summer.
ReplyDeleteThere are new generation cloth diapers which are reusable and much easier to use than the old-fashioned pinned ones. Those could be a lifesaver for a poor family. There are also reusable menstrual products (Google "Diva Cup") that would last a woman for years and would be a great donation.
Lastly, I personally am trying to mentor some moms of new babies in their efforts to try exclusive breastfeeding. Poorer moms without resources such as the internet often times have a rough go with nursing and give up. BFing is the perfect food for babies and obviously is completely free! The WIC program also will give a nursing mother extra food if she qualifies.
I was thinking about having a canned food drive at the UPWARD BOUND, ALLENTOWN EVENT. Does anyone know who I could get in contact with to make this happen?
ReplyDeleteAlfonso
Alfonso, I know someone from Allentown Rescue Mission who told me he'd like to participate and will put you two in touch.
ReplyDeleteGood Job! :)
ReplyDeleteSalem United Methodist Church of Allentown's food pantry is now 9 to 11 am vs. 9 to 12 am. It is the first and 3rd Saturdays of each month. Each person is only allowed to visit once per month.
ReplyDeleteMaybe Pump foodbank in Portland would have enough food for the needy and people that really have nothing if the director there wouldnt let her god daughters mother go there after hours and let her pick from whatever she wants and gives her bags and bags of food. i find this distasteful and wrong! shame on her.
ReplyDeleteIs anybody eligible?
ReplyDelete