The goal is to raise $500,000 to support keeping key food pantries stocked with crucial staples for a minimum of three months, while ensuring that food is distributed to where it\u2019s needed most.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe first focus of this fund will be to support emergency food access for our community,\u201d the nonprofits said in announcing the effort. \u201cWith over 40% of Greater Lehigh Valley residents living paycheck to paycheck, funding pauses to programs like SNAP have led to greater food insecurity. <\/p>\n
\u201cAt the same time, many of our region\u2019s social service providers are struggling to keep up with the need and have not been able to access funding that typically supports food access programs.\u201d<\/p>\n
To donate to the fund, visit unitedwayglv.org\/donate<\/a> (select \u201cCritical Support Fund\u201d). On Lehigh Valley Community Foundation\u2019s website, donate by clicking: Bridge Fund for Critical Support<\/a>. Donations can also be made via mail with checks payable to UWGLV, 1110 American Parkway NE, Suite F-120, Allentown, PA 18109 \u2014 Attention \u201cCritical Support Fund\u201d; or to Lehigh Valley Community Foundation, 840 W. Hamilton Street, Suite 310, Allentown, PA 18101 \u2014 Attention \u201cBridge Fund for Critical Support.\u201d<\/p>\n Food and diaper donations can be directed to the following hubs: Hispanic Center Lehigh Valley<\/a>, Easton Area Neighborhood Center<\/a> and Allentown Area Ecumenical Food Bank<\/a>. Priority food items include canned proteins, cereals, canned fruits and vegetables, rice, pasta and peanut butter.<\/p>\n Funds will be distributed for immediate relief in partnership with an action group of local food providers who are co-leading this response strategy, according to Friday\u2019s announcement.<\/p>\n This Critical Support Fund seeks to address food-resource and other emergency needs and is being launched regardless of whether SNAP benefits are paused, said Laura McHugh, chief engagement officer for the United Way of the Greater Lehigh Valley.<\/p>\n \u201cToo many of our neighbors are feeling the strain when vital support systems are stretched,\u201d stated Marci Lesko, president and chief executive officer of the local United Way. \u201cWhen need rises and resources tighten, our community shows up. We\u2019re grateful for the extraordinary collaboration across nonprofits, funders and volunteers who are stepping up together to meet this moment.\u201d<\/p>\n The Shapiro Administration says the number of Pennsylvanians who rely on more than $366 million in monthly food assistance through SNAP includes more than 713,000 children and 697,000 older adults. In Republican U.S. Rep. Ryan Mackenzie\u2019s 7th Congressional District, the number of SNAP recipients is 106,733, according to the Democratic governor\u2019s office.<\/p>\n Mackenzie this week called for an end to the shutdown. <\/p>\n \u201cThe shutdown isn\u2019t just a headline; it means empty pantries for families across the Lehigh Valley and the Poconos,\u201d Mackenzie said in a statement Tuesday<\/a>. \u201cEssential government programs that support local families are in immediate danger. Tens of thousands of local families depend on SNAP and WIC (Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children), and local food banks will struggle to keep up with the surge in demand if these programs are allowed to lapse. <\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s time for partisanship to take a back seat to the lives of American families \u2014 the government must be funded.\u201d<\/p>\n The shutdown began when the Republican-controlled Congress failed to pass a bill to fund the government.<\/p>\n In a standoff with Republican President Donald Trump\u2019s administration, Democrats are insisting on the extension of tax credits<\/a> that make health insurance cheaper for millions of Americans and the restoration of cuts made to Medicaid. Without the tax credits, more than 20 million Americans on Affordable Care Act plans would see their health care costs rise. Republicans say they won\u2019t discuss the health care subsidies, or any other policy, until the government reopens.<\/p>\n Among the Democrats lining up to challenge Mackenzie in 2026, Northampton County Executive Lamont McClure on Friday said he wrote the congressman urging immediate federal action to support Lehigh Valley food pantries and aid those facing the halt of SNAP benefits.<\/p>\n \u201cThe letter requests that President Trump reopen programs previously shut down earlier this year, including the Local Food for Schools and Local Food Purchase Assistance Cooperative Agreement programs, and release previously allocated funds to provide immediate relief to families in need,\u201d the county executive\u2019s office said in a news release. \u201cThese programs can quickly deliver food assistance directly to children and households most affected by the potential SNAP disruption.<\/p>\n \u201cWithout this action, families in Northampton County will face immediate hardship, and local food pantries, already stretched by prior funding shortfalls, will be overwhelmed.\u201d<\/p>\n The local United Way urges those in need of food resources to visit pa211east.org<\/a>. Visitors to the site can click on their county and then food, for the list of the closest resources available. Those in need may also dial 211 to speak to someone directly for help or text their ZIP code to 898211.<\/p>\n In addition, the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services maintains a list of food bank organizations operating throughout the state<\/a>, which gather food donations and distribute them to the nearly 3,000 local food pantries across the state.<\/p>\n Other resources suggested by the DHS include:<\/p>\n Feeding Pennsylvania, a statewide association of food banks.\u00a0Visit the FeedingPA website at feedingpa.org<\/a>.PA Navigate, which helps connect people with local assistance for food, housing, utilities and transportation.\u00a0Visit the PA Navigate website at pa-navigate.org<\/a>.<\/p>\n New Jersey residents are encouraged to dial 211 or visit nj211.org<\/a> for pantry locations and assistance help.<\/p>\n PennLive.com and The Associated Press contributed to this report.<\/p>\n If you purchase a product or register for an account through a link on our site, we may receive compensation. By using this site, you consent to our User Agreement<\/a> and agree that your clicks, interactions, and personal information may be collected, recorded, and\/or stored by us and social media and other third-party partners in accordance with our Privacy Policy.<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Nearly 2 million Pennsylvanians will lose Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits on Saturday, Nov. 1 unless Congress…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":21080,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[119,121,120,591],"class_list":{"0":"post-21079","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-allentown","8":"tag-allentown","9":"tag-allentown-headlines","10":"tag-allentown-news","11":"tag-merlinmigration2014"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21079","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=21079"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21079\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/21080"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=21079"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=21079"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=21079"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"Lehigh](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/C2ILQSEXZJHJRNTA37WYBEM3HY.jpg\"\/)
Second Harvest Food Bank moves into its new facility Sept. 9, 2015, on Silver Crest Road in East Allen Township.Lehighvalleylive.com File Photo<\/p>\n