Amidst rising grocery costs, families and individuals are turning towards emergency food distributors to make ends meet. One of these resources – The West Bethlehem Emergency Food Pantry – aims to assist residents who are facing food insecurity.
Located within the Star of Bethlehem Lutheran Church on 3rd Avenue, the food pantry can provide any resident of Lehigh County with emergency food assistance following an approval process. To receive assistance, residents need only submit a self-declaration of their household income and proof of residency in the county. In order to show proof of residency, locals can provide the organization with an I.D. card, driver’s license, or billing statement that includes an address. A template for the self-declaration can be found linked on the West Bethlehem Emergency Food Pantry website.
Once approved, residents can come to the food pantry once a month to receive food and household supplies. Specific items can vary between distributions, but they do include non-perishable canned vegetables, beans, and meats. Snack foods, breakfast foods, juices, and coffee are also provided. In-season fresh produce from the Monocacy Farm project is offered when it is available. In addition to food, sanitary and hygiene products are supplied from the pantry to meet residents’ needs.
The food pantry is supported by donations from the community, the congregation of the Star of Bethlehem Lutheran Church, and Second Harvest Community Food Bank. According to Joannah Reisteter, a 6-year volunteer at the pantry, there is always a need for non-food necessities such as soap, shampoo, toothpaste, toilet paper, and paper towels. Likewise, the pantry specifies that it only accepts non-perishable food items. To learn more about which food items would be the most helpful for the pantry in providing aid, the pantry asks that residents call to arrange the donation. As the organization prioritizes supporting locals in acquiring grocery items, they do not accept other household items such as clothing or furnishings.
Since the pandemic, the food pantry has seen a rise in the number of residents in need of assistance. For example, over the course of June 2024, the pantry assisted 86 households, 25 of which received food for the first time. These 86 households equate to 291 people, according to the pantry’s records. The sharp increase in households that have signed up for assistance emphasizes the importance of the pantry’s work. During the COVID-19 Pandemic, the pantry saw fewer people in need of their services, but shortly after the lockdown ended, the number of applicants increased. “When we had the Pandemic, it was extremely slow for us and we had been doing pre-bagging and a drive up. But since the Pandemic, it’s just gotten more and more each month,” Reisteter said. “The stimulus that was received, I think, was helping a lot of people, and they were getting what they needed on their own.” Because of the current increase in clients, pantry staff hope that community members will continue to provide or increase donations of food and supplies to the pantry.
In addition to the need for continuous donations from the local community, the pantry also accepts the help of community volunteers. The pantry currently sees regular inquiries for volunteering. Several of the volunteers are referred to the pantry by correctional officers and the school district to assist in fulfilling community service obligations. However, additional volunteers are needed as well, and increasingly so. Volunteers aid the pantry by distributing food, packing grocery bags for distribution, stocking shelves inside the pantry, and unloading trucks from Second Harvest. Those interested in volunteering can reach out by phone and leave a message to be added to the roster.
To learn more, visit West Bethlehem Emergency Food Pantry.
