The YMCA of Western North Carolina joins national
effort to serve 5 million meals to 150,000 kids and teens, in partnership with
the Walmart Foundation
Western North Carolina, July
15, 2014 – In an effort to combat child hunger, YMCA of Western North Carolina will
offer its free Summer Food Program, thanks to a $70,000 grant from the Wal-Mart
Foundation. Combining food and fun, the program provides nutritious meals and
snacks and fun learning enrichment activities to keep youth healthy, active and
well-nourished all summer long. The program runs from now until August 8 and is
open to kids ages 18 and under.
Research shows that more
than 30 million children in low-income communities receive free or reduced-cost
meals during the school year, but only 2.3 million of these same kids have
access to free meals when school is out. To help fill summertime gap and ensure
fewer children go hungry, the YMCA of Western North Carolina will serve over
650 children here in Western North Carolina. At more than 1,100 summer food
program sites nationwide, the Y will strive to serve 5 million healthy meals
and snacks to 150,000 kids this summer.
“At the Y, we are focused
on keeping kids mentally and physically active while ensuring they have access
to healthy food so they’re well-nourished and avoid the ‘summer slide’,” said Paul
Vest, President and CEO, YMCA of Western North Carolina. “The YMCA’s Summer
Food Program will help kids stay healthy, active and energized all summer long,
ensuring they start the school year ready to achieve.”
Participants in the YMCA of
Western North Carolina’s Summer Food Program will receive two meals or snacks
each weekday and enjoy various fun activities.
To reach more youth who may
be unable to visit the Y, the YMCA of Western North Carolina is taking the Summer
Food Program out to “open sites” in the community by partnering with Hall
Fletcher Elementary School and Bethel Seventh-day Adventist Church to bring
healthy meals and snacks and fun activities to these kids. The sites will be
open to all children 18 years and younger from mid-June until August 8. We have
also included events at these two locations with our Healthy Living Mobile
Kitchen (HLMK), a 72-passenger school bus that has been remodeled to function
as a nutrition education and food assistance outreach hub to serve areas in
Buncombe, McDowell, and Henderson counties.
During the summer, we are using the HLMK for families to enjoy cooking
demonstrations, free produce distributions, and nutrition education sessions.
The Y is committed to
nurturing the physical, mental and social-emotional development of youth and is
working to ensure that all kids have access to nutritious meals, so they can
continue to be healthy and thrive when out of school. The YMCA’s Summer Food Program,
now in its fourth year, is part of a year-round effort to fight child hunger in
partnership with the Walmart Foundation. In 2013, the Y provided a total of 7.5
million meals to children across the country through Afterschool and Summer
Food Programs. In 2013, the YMCA of
Western North Carolina served more than 40,000 meals and snacks to children in
Buncombe, McDowell and Henderson counties.
During the school year,
they YMCA of Western North Carolina will also serve healthy meals and snacks in
its afterschool program to provide kids with nourishment and academic
enrichment.
To learn more about the
YMCA of Western North Carolina’s Summer Food Program, call or email Nicole
Coston, RD, at (828) 674-8023 or ncoston@ymcawnc.org
or visit ymca.net/summerfood.
No comments:
Post a Comment