FROM THE NEST | FALL 2023 | 27 CHRISTA NEU When the pandemic closed schools nationwide in 2020, Paige Hoffman, community school coordinator at Fountain Hill Elementary School in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, noticed that a number of students and their families, as well as many Fountain Hill residents, faced increased food insecurity. Compounding the problem was the neighborhood’s location in a food desert, with few retail spots where families could purchase food affordably. Hoffman began distributing meals to the elementary students weekly to replace the food they were not receiving while schools were shut down. “Even as the pandemic began to wind down,” she says, “we predicted that food insecurity would continue to be high, and that has been true.” Tackling Food Insecurity New partnership establishes a food pantry at an elementary school near Lehigh. COMMUNITY ʼ16 After more than seven years at Lehigh, Joseph E. Buck stepped down as vice president for development and alumni relations and started a new role as vice president for advancement at the University of Oregon. President Joseph J. Helble ’82 said Buck had elevated Lehigh’s philanthropic impact to “unprecedented levels.” “With his capable leadership, Lehigh was able to navigate the challenges of advancing a comprehensive campaign during a pandemic, and he provided thoughtful leadership during a presidential transition—always working toward ensuring Lehigh’s long-term success,” Helble said. With Buck’s guidance, Lehigh’s fundraising initiatives saw a notable 25% increase in contributions for fiscal year 2018 through 2022 compared to the previous five years. A milestone included the strategy development for GO: The Campaign for Lehigh. ALUMNI FAUX FRIDAY First-year Lehigh students fanned out across South Bethlehem at the start of the Fall 2023 semester to enjoy dinner and explore the neighborhood as part of Faux Friday, an annual event hosted by the Office of the First-Year Experience that aims to introduce the incoming class to the South Side. Nearly 20 restaurants participated in the 10th anniversary event. Students always comment about the area’s walkability and how much is available, said Stefanie Burke, assistant dean and director of the program. “We want students to recognize Lehigh and South Bethlehem as their new home and encourage them to take advantage of the downtown area,” she said. In collaboration with the Community Service Office, students were asked to donate a childhood favorite book for kids in South Bethlehem and to write an inspiring note inside. Following internal discussions, staff in Lehigh’s Community Service Office approached Second Harvest Food Bank of the Lehigh Valley and Northeast Pennsylvania about partnering to open a food pantry at the elementary school. A New Partnership Second Harvest agreed to partner—as long as a nonprofit led the initiative. As a result, Fountain Hill Grocery Community Partnership was born, a nonprofit composed of representatives from Lehigh, the City of Bethlehem, Fountain Hill Borough and Cathedral Church of the Nativity in South Bethlehem. It is chaired by Richard Sause, Joseph T. Stuart Professor of Structural Engineering and director of the Advanced Technology for Large Structural Systems (ATLSS) Center at Lehigh. “Our community has shared that the food pantry is important,” said Carolina Hernandez, assistant dean and director of Lehigh’s Community Service Office, who had an integral role. “The priority is access to food that is affordable. In this case, we were able to make it completely free.” Hoffman spoke with emotion about the journey to establish the pantry: “Seeing the traffic that has come through and the gratitude our community feels for having this resource is amazing.”—Kristen DiPrinzio A Legacy of Growth
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