Children receive free summer meals at the Bath Area Family YMCA. Contributed photo
The Bath Area Family YMCA is convening an anti-hunger task force to explore how it can best work with its partners to continue to prevent and alleviate hunger in the 14 communities it serves.
“Our immediate focus is to make sure the needs of children are met as the new school year begins,” said Marty Lakeman, chairperson of the task force and a board volunteer at both the Bath Area Family YMCA and the Bath Area Back Pack Program.
ath Area Family YMCA Child Care Director Annie Colaluca delivers meals. Contributed photo
Meanwhile, the Y Veggie Van will continue its mobile summer meals program through Aug. 28. Grab-and-go summer meals will be available at the Bath YMCA through Sept. 4 to take into account the delay in the start of the school year.
One in seven children in the U.S. is fighting hunger, according to the Y, citing the US Department of Agriculture. When schools closed in March, many area youth were at a greater risk of food insecurity.
The Y launched an emergency grab-and-go meal site for children in March. After the school year ended, they added a mobile service, following the route that RSU1 school buses had been using to deliver meals to children in their neighborhoods during the shutdown.
The route runs Monday through Friday and includes over 20 sites in Bath, Woolwich Phippsburg and West Bath, and the stationary site at the Bath YMCA at 303 Centre Street.
“The Y already had a free summer meals program in three locations prior to the pandemic,” said Sabrina Murphy, chief executive officer of the Bath Area Family YMCA. “Sending the Veggie Van into the larger community is giving more of our neighbors access to healthy meals during the summer break.”
In addition to the meals, Y staff on the Veggie Van share fresh vegetables and shelf-stable groceries provided by the Bath Area Back Pack Program and the Merrymeeting Gleaners, and offer children’s books and art supplies donated by Books on the Bus-Bath.
To take part in the free summer meals program or to view the route, visit www.bathymca.org/summermeals or contact coordinator Jen Peavey at msjen@bathymca.org.
The Y’s Free Summer Meals Program and Emergency Meals program has been supported by individual donors to the Bath Area Family YMCA, grants from the Bath Sunrise Rotary Club, Full Plates Full Potentials, Maine Community Foundation, Nourishing Neighbors, Rotary Club of Bath, Spectrum Generations, the United Way of Mid Coast Maine and through a partnership with the USDA.
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