United Way Brings "Basic Needs" to Easton

Go to the food pantry on Ferry Street on certain days, and you'll find a line of people waiting to get groceries.

"I think it's just been trending up," said . "And we're seeing new people...elderly, people who've never been in a food pantry before."

Fortunately, people are very generous when it comes to donating food.

But then there's the things people tend not to think of giving away: household items like diapers, soap, and other bathroom products.

With that in mind, the United Way of the Greater Lehigh Valley donated boxes of "basic need" items -- hand sanitizer, soaps, diapers, deodorant, socks and underwear -- to ProJeCt and other local service organizations around the Lehigh Valley Tuesday morning.

"What we try to do is get things people don't normally donate," said Susan Gilmore, president of the UWGLV. 

She and her colleagues had just dropped off their donation at the ProJeCt food pantry -- in the basement of -- and were on their way to the .

Household items are something most people don't even think about buying Komisar said. But when someone's living at or under the poverty level, other things -- food, heating -- become more essential.

United Way of the Greater Lehigh Valley spokeswoman Sarah Cooke said the group focuses on three areas: education, the elderly, and basic needs.

To that end, it holds a school supply drive in the fall, and will collect fans for senior citizens in May. This is the first time the group has done a basics needs drive, Cooke said.