In its eighth consecutive year, the St. Luke\u2019s Summer Meals Program will be providing free lunches in Allentown and Quakertown to ensure every school-age child has access to nutritious meals during the summer months.<\/p>\n
St. Luke\u2019s Community Health Department<\/a>\u00a0launched the Summer Meals program in response to the Network\u2019s\u00a0Community Health Needs Assessment<\/a>\u00a0(CHNA), which showed that more than half of students in the Allentown and Quakertown Community School Districts are eligible for free and reduced meals during the academic year.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen school is out, many children lose a consistent, reliable source of nutritious meals, putting their health and well-being at risk during the summer months,\u201d says Dr. Rajika Reed, Vice President of Community Health. \u201cProviding access to healthy lunches during this time is essential to ensure children continue to grow, learn, and thrive, while also supporting families.\u201d<\/p>\n In Allentown, free grab-and-go meals can be picked up at Star Community Health\u2019s Sigal Center in Allentown on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays from June 11 to August 20, 2026. Meals will be available for pick-up beginning at noon. The 2026 Summer Meals Program in Allentown is supported by Hatzel & Buehler, Inc., which has been committed to making an impact in the communities it serves since the program\u2019s inception.<\/p>\n \u201cPrograms like Summer Meals are critical to bridging the gap when school is out and ensuring children continue to receive the nutrition they need every day,\u201d says Dr. Alycia Walty, Chief Medical Officer, Star Community Health. \u201cProper nutrition is fundamental to a child\u2019s growth and development, supporting not only physical health but also cognitive and emotional well-being. We are proud to partner in this effort to support families, strengthen community health, and ensure every child has the opportunity to grow and thrive year-round.\u201d<\/p>\n In Quakertown, free summer meals will be served Mondays through Fridays at Free Fall Action Park (670 S. Main Street, Quakertown) from June 15 \u2013 August 28, 2026, from 12 to 2 pm. This location will also be providing children with non-perishable food each Friday to take home to their families. Students and families will also be connected to the Quakertown Farmers Market for fresh, local produce. Penn Community Bank has invested in St. Luke\u2019s Quakertown Summer Meals since the program began.<\/p>\n The contributions from Hatzel & Buehler, Penn Community Bank, and other private donors ensure children have access to a wide variety of healthy meal options, nourishment over the weekends, financial literacy education, and other engaging activities.<\/p>\n To identify other food access points in Allentown, Quakertown, or other regions, please visit\u00a0www.sluhn.findhelp.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n About St. Luke\u2019s<\/strong><\/p>\n Founded in 1872, St. Luke\u2019s University Health Network (SLUHN) is a fully integrated, regional, non-profit network with annual net revenue of more than $4.5 billion. With 23,000+ employees at 16 hospital campuses and 350+ outpatient sites, it is the Lehigh Valley\u2019s biggest employer.<\/p>\n The Network\u2019s service area includes 11 counties in two states: Lehigh, Northampton, Berks, Bucks, Carbon, Montgomery, Monroe, Schuylkill and Luzerne counties in Pennsylvania and Warren and Hunterdon counties in New Jersey. St. Luke\u2019s Children\u2019s Hospital is based at the Bethlehem Campus.<\/p>\n Dedicated to advancing medical education, St. Luke\u2019s is the preeminent teaching hospital in central-eastern Pennsylvania. In partnership with Temple University, the Network established the Lehigh Valley\u2019s first and only four-year medical school. It also operates the nation\u2019s oldest continuously operated School of Nursing, established in 1884, and 60+ fully accredited graduate medical educational programs with 550+ residents and fellows. Additionally, the St. Luke\u2019s College of Health Sciences opened in 2026.<\/p>\n In 2025, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services ranked St. Luke\u2019s #1 \u2013 ahead of Houston Methodist and Mayo Clinic, two of the nation\u2019s most prestigious institutions \u2013 as the nation\u2019s top health system for quality, safety and patient experience. This objective recognition, based on public data reported to the government, reaffirms St. Luke\u2019s preeminent position as THE BEST OF THE BEST among the most respected health care systems in the United States.<\/p>\n St. Luke\u2019s has been named a Leapfrog Group Top Hospital and a Newsweek World\u2019s Best Hospital. In 2026, all of the Network\u2019s eligible hospital campuses were awarded Medicare\u2019s highest ratings for quality, efficiency and patient satisfaction. The Network also earned straight A\u2019s for safety from Leapfrog across all of its acute care hospitals. It has earned 100 Top Hospital designations from Premier 12 years in a row, including in 2026 when the Network was identified as THE #1 MEDIUM-SIZE HEALTH SYSTEM IN THE COUNTRY. Utilizing the Epic electronic medical record (EMR) system for both inpatient and outpatient services, the Network is a multi-year recipient of the Most Wired award recognizing the breadth of SLUHN\u2019s information technology applications such as telehealth, online scheduling and online pricing information.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Information provided to TVL by: In its eighth consecutive year, the St. Luke\u2019s Summer Meals Program will be providing free lunches in Allentown and Quakertown to ensure every school-age child has access to nutritious meals during the summer months. St. Luke\u2019s Community Health Department\u00a0launched the Summer Meals program in response to the Network\u2019s\u00a0Community Health Needs Assessment\u00a0(CHNA), which showed that more … Continue reading Summer Meals for School-Age Children<\/span>
\nSam Kennedy<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"