Nutrition is a Year-Round Commitment

When the school year ends, so do free meals for the millions of children who depend on them most. This summer, the Y is partnering with Walmart in an effort to feed more children through the Summer Food Service Program—the program by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to provide free meals to children aged 18 and under while school is out of session. More than 300 Ys nationwide will provide seven million nutritious meals to 70,000 children now through August.

According to the USDA, 19.5 million low-income children receive free or reduced meals during the school year. As part of the YMCA’s summer food program, children aged 18 and under will continue to receive two meals a day--or one meal and a snack—while school is out of session. Not only will this provide thousands of children much needed meals this summer, but it will also help alleviate the strain on family food budgets.  

Healthy bodies create healthy communities, so we care about child nutrition.  Join us to learn more about our summer food program straight from the participating Ys themselves, read our press release, and pledge your support via Twitter.

#YFightHunger: Tweet Your Support

We’re looking to collect 70,000 tweets in support of each of the 70,000 kids we are feeding this summer! Click here to support us with a quick tweet: #yfighthunger.

BLOGGERS INSPIRED

The nation’s top fitness, nutrition, and technology writers have been voicing support of our summer food program. Learn more about their take on child nutrition and blogging for change.

FEATURED BLOGGER: Ann P.
Web: www.fannetasticfood.com
Twitter: @fANNEtasticfood

Anne is the writer behind the food and fitness blog fANNEtastic food which she started in October 2009 as a way to motivate others to lead happier, healthier lives through nutrition and exercise. Anne blogs daily, sharing simple and delicious healthy recipes, fitness and health tips, quick lunch and dinner ideas, and daily adventures of life in Chapel Hill, NC, where she is currently pursuing her Masters of Public Health in Nutrition and working towards becoming a Registered Dietitian. Please stop by her blog and say hello!

Q: How did you become involved in writing a blog about healthy living?

AP: I had been reading healthy living blogs for a while when I decided I wanted to go back to school to become a Registered Dietitian. At the same time I started taking prerequisites for school, I started my blog. I saw it as a way to inspire others to lead healthier, happier lives through fitness and nutrition. I wanted to show people that it doesn’t have to be hard or complicated to be healthy or to cook healthy food! I like also writing about my fitness adventures (running, hiking, swimming, etc.) to inspire others to be more active and get outdoors. Being active should be FUN—you don’t have to toil away at the gym to be healthy!

Q: Why do you think it is important to teach children how to make healthy food choices?

AP: Anything you learn at a younger age will more easily be carried with you into adulthood. If you are a parent, it is really important to show your kids that cooking together can be fun. Involve the kids in the process and show them where their food comes from so that when they are older it won’t be foreign for them to be healthy. If you get kids involved in cooking the foods they are eating they may be more interested in trying other things that they normally wouldn’t try, too!

In my dietetic internship this summer in North Carolina, I worked with a local Cooperative Extension office, and one of the main things we did was to teach kids' cooking classes! It was really exciting and rewarding to see the kids trying new foods (especially veggies)—and in most cases, even liking them!

Q: What was the thing that impressed you the most as you started blogging about healthy living then seeing feedback from your followers?

AP: The best thing is hearing that I have inspired people to try healthier meals and to be a lot more active. I’ve gotten a lot of emails from readers who were inspired to try cooking for the first time using one of my recipes, and were surprised to find how simple it was! I also get a lot of emails from readers who, reading about my running training and adventures, have been inspired to start running. I also have a reader who is diabetic and has been able to manage her diabetes by using many of my recipes. Hearing that kind of feedback makes it all worth it!

Q: What about the YMCA’s Summer Food Program made an impression on you?

AP: The YMCA Summer Food Program is the type of program that we need more of these days. Any program that’s going to help kids stay healthier and have access to healthier foods during the summer is amazing, in my opinion.

Q: If you’ve had a chance to observe or participate in the activities of your local Y, what are your impressions on how the local Y helps your community?

AP: I think that community based programs supporting nutrition, health and wellness are really important. I admire that the YMCA is so focused on providing health services to their local communities.

FEATURED BLOGGER: Stefanie
Website: www.the-new-healthy.com
Twitter: @TheNewHealthy

My name is Stefanie and I'm the girl behind The New Healthy blog. Over at The New Healthy, I write about everything from food and fitness to family and fun with a focus on healthy living. I've successfully lost and kept off over 50 pounds and I love sharing the knowledge I've gained along the way. In a nutshell, I'm a busy Mom and student trying to fulfill many roles: visit me for a taste of healthy living in a hectic world.

Q: How did you become involved in writing about the "new" healthy and fitness?

S: It all started with a friendly pact to lose weight. One of my best friends was getting married and she recruited me as her ‘time to get in shape work out partner.’ At the time, we were about 6 months away from her wedding, so the countdown was on. And fast.

We immediately started eating healthier (i.e. eliminating processed foods, incorporating more fruits and vegetables) and recording our daily eats in foods logs. A bit later down the road, we incorporated exercise into our plan. We started small with long walks and gradually built up to jogging short distances.

Fast forward roughly 12 months. I had lost about 50 pounds, and I was feeling more confident and fitter than ever. I had been reading blogs for over a year, and I decided that it was time to share my story. Other healthy living bloggers had given me inspiration on so many occasions, and I simply felt that it was time to share the love. So share I did.

I began writing my blog “The New Healthy” in September of 2010. It took me a while to find my blogging voice, but eventually things just fell into place. The healthy living community is amazingly supportive and it just felt fantastic to be surrounded (virtually) by such like-minded individuals.

As I continued blogging, I fell even more in love with fitness and healthy eating. I pretty much made it my goal to encourage others to make healthy eating and exercise a priority--even when you feel as if your life is simply too busy to include anything else. I once used the whole ‘I’m too busy’ excuse--but now I know that I’m never too busy to make my health a priority. My blog tagline--healthy living in a hectic world--says it all.

Q: Why do you think it’s important to teach children how to make healthy food choices?

S: In a society where obesity rates are on the rise, it’s essential to teach children how to enjoy a healthy, balanced diet from a young age. In my experience, children learn best through modeling. That is, they will adopt the habits of other ‘role models’ around them as their own.

In essence, I follow the “practice what you preach” mantra. If you want your children to enjoy healthy, whole foods, then you should enjoy them yourself. Don’t simply preach that they should eat their veggies; make eating veggies a family affair. Teaching children how to make healthy food choices should be right up there with teaching children their manners. Both are equally important in order for children to thrive as young, independent adults. 

Personally, I found that as soon as I started being more health-conscious, my son did as well. Together, we read nutritional labels and prepare healthy meals. By setting a healthy example, I encouraged my son to become more conscious of what he was putting into his body. Even at a young age, he recognizes the importance of living a healthy, balanced life.

Q: What do you think is one of the biggest barriers in making meal programs available to more children, particularly in your area?

S: The biggest barrier in making meal programs available to more children is the lack of funds, plain and simple. In my area, specifically, meal programs just don’t have access to adequate funding. Thus, many children aren’t receiving sufficient meals when school is out during the summer months. We need more successful companies to take the initiative and follow in the YMCA’s and Walmart’s footsteps. These companies have carved the way for others to step up to the plate and continue making the summer food programs successful. Success comes in numbers. Therefore, the more companies that participate, the more successful the programs will become, and consequently, more children will go to bed satisfied.

Additionally, the unfortunate truth is that unprocessed, healthy foods are often more expensive than processed junk food. At many fast food chains, you can get a double cheeseburger for a dollar, yet a salad costs five dollars or more. Often times with meal programs, children are receiving the less expensive processed foods. Therefore, I think it’s important to overcome the whole food barrier. Fruit and vegetables are some of nature’s healthiest whole foods. Thus, we should strive to incorporate fresh produce into meal programs in order to give children the most bang for their nutritional buck. Partnering with local farms could be a great way to make this happen.  

Q: What about the Y’s summer food program made an impression on you?

S: I’ve always been a huge fan of the YMCA, as you’ll see in the next question. The Y never fails to amaze me with its various community outreach programs. Of course, the summer food program is no different. The thought of a child having inadequate nutrition during the summer months is one that really tugs at the heart strings. I believe that Neil Nicoll summed it up perfectly in saying “when the school year ends, children's meals should not.” This statement is true in every sense.

Every child deserves to have healthy, nutritious meals on the table whether their family is struggling financially or not. The YMCA saw a need and opted to do something about it. The summer food program is aiming to feed 70,000 children this summer alone. I truly hope to watch that number grow and I know the YMCA will do everything in its power to do just that.

Q: If you’ve had a chance to observe or participate in the activities of your local Y, what are your impressions on how the local Y helps your community?

S: I’ve always been a huge supporter of the YMCA. For as long as I can remember, my family has participated in the Y’s activities. Some of my best memories from childhood involve playing sports and swimming at my local Y. Now I have the pleasure of watching my son play in the same programs. My father has long volunteered as a YMCA coach, both for myself and my siblings, and now for his grandchildren.

My local Y provides numerous amazing programs for children and adults alike. Each year, they host Healthy Kid’s Day to encourage families to raise health-conscious children. The Y truly brings a sense of community to the area. We are all there for the same reason – to get healthy, stay healthy, and encourage others to do the same. I often work out at home, but I find that when I exercise at the Y I get an extra boost of inspiration and motivation. The boost stems from a combined sense of energy that results when people of all ages and sizes are working towards similar health-related goals.

Q: If you had unlimited resources what would you do to encourage people to give more attention to this important issue?

S: For one, I would raise awareness that this issue is real. It exists not only in our city, but across the United States. Unfortunately, many of us are so wrapped up in our own day-to-days lives that we don’t acknowledge those that are struggling. Through the power of social media, I would make certain that this topic reaches as many ears as possible.

FEATURED BLOGGER: Emily Malone
Website: www.DailyGarnish.com
Twitter: @DailyGarnish

Emily Malone is a writer, blogger, and vegetarian chef who has a passion for promoting healthy food and active living.  In addition to freelance writing and recipe development, she shares her healthy journey on her website Daily Garnish.  Her most recent project has been growing a healthy baby boy, due this coming October!

Q: How did you become involved in writing about healthy recipes, cooking tips, active living, and more recently, your journey through pregnancy?

EM: When I was training for my first marathon back in 2008, I applied and was selected to be a blogger for the local Cincinnati newspaper.  During my training, I wrote and shared my running experience with local readers, and found that I was really drawn to running and blogging.  

Eventually, I started my own personal blog, which eventually ended up transitioning to a food and health blog as those became the things that were really important in my life.  During my experience in culinary school, I started to produce more recipes and share cooking ideas, and the blog has just continued to grow from there.  

Q: Why do you think is important to teach children how to make healthy food choices?

EM: In my opinion, children aren't born with the natural ability to distinguish what is healthy or unhealthy.  It is up to us as adults and role models to guide them to understand not only how to make good food choices, but also why choosing healthy food is important for a healthy and active life. 

Q: What do you think is one of the biggest barriers in making meal programs available to more children, particularly in your area?

EM: Unfortunately, I think that we are still struggling to generate enough interest and demand to really take a stand and demand better options for our children.  It is up to the leaders and parents in our communities to talk to the food providers and meal program managers, and speak out about the need for more healthy options in our schools and childcare programs.  If more of us would speak out about the need for healthier options, eventually the demand would necessitate a change.

Q: What was the thing that impressed you the most as you started blogging about healthy foods and seeing feedback from your followers?

EM: There is so much interest in healthy, active living right now, and most people seem to struggle with the same big question:  How?  With all the research, movies, and stories these days about the negative impacts of certain foods on our health, people are more inclined now than ever to make a change and start making healthier choices.

I am so impressed with the number of people I hear from who are ready to make a change, and simply looking for a few ways to get started and kick off their healthy journey.  Through blogs and other health resources, like the YMCA, I hope that we can provide enough information and motivation to help every person find the path to healthy eating.

Q: What about the YMCA’s summer food program made an impression on you?

EM: What I love about the YMCA's summer food program is the emphasis that healthy eating and healthy living is a lifelong and daily process.  To leave kids without healthy meal options for two months of the year creates a huge disparity between what we are trying to teach them about food, and what we are actually providing.  Through this initiative, kids will have access to healthy food year-round, giving them the right tools to turn daily choices into a healthy habit that can last a lifetime.  

Q: If you’ve had a chance to observe or participate in the activities of your local Y, what are your impressions on how the local Y helps your community?

EM: I think the YMCA is incredibly important because it makes healthy activity, fitness, and food available to everyone.  If you have an interest in staying active or staying fit, you should have access to the resources to make that possible.  The YMCA provides just that, and is a great resource for our communities. 

Q: If you had unlimited resources what would you do to encourage people to give more attention to this important issue?

EM: With unlimited resources, I’d pour my efforts into encouraging grocery stores and restaurants to offer healthier options.  The movement is definitely starting to shift in this direction, but too often I find myself out to dinner looking at a menu filled with calorie dense items that are served in portions that could realistically feed an entire family.  There needs to be more accountability in the food industry.  Food manufacturers and chefs need more specific guidelines and more demand for providing healthy options.  

FEATURED BLOGGER: Tina Haupert
Website: www.carrotsncake.com
Twitter: @CarrotsNCake

My name is Tina. I’m 31 years old, and I live in Boston, Massachusetts with my loving husband, Mal, and my adorable pug, Murphy. When I’m not spending time with my family and friends, you can find me running. I love to stay active and running is my favorite form of exercise. To date, I’ve run more than 20 races, including my first marathon in January 2011. (The New York City Marathon is the next big race on my calendar!)

Additionally, I volunteer weekly with Back on My Feet (BOMF), an organization that promotes the self-sufficiency of homeless people by engaging them in running as a means to build confidence, strength and self-esteem. I blog about my adventures with BOMF every week. My hobbies also include yoga, hiking, baking, tasting beer, dining out, and traveling.

Managing and blogging for Carrots ‘N’ Cake is a full-time job for me, but I also juggle a variety of part-time gigs. I write another blog called Trading Up Downtown for a nutritional rating company called NuVal. The main focus of the blog is sharing tips to save money and selecting nutritious foods with the help of the NuVal system. I also write a weekly feature for Health.com as part of their Feel Great Weight (FGW) program.

Q: How did you become involved in writing about health and fitness?

TH: I started my blog, Carrots 'N' Cake, as a way to keep me motivated to shape up for my wedding day. It was a personal online journal; I really didn't think anyone would read it!

Q: Why do you think it is important to teach children how to make healthy food choices?

TH: Kids should have every opportunity to grow into thriving young adults, and proper nutrition is just one aspect. Eating a balanced diet affects nearly every aspect of one's life.

Q: What do you think is one of the biggest barriers in making meal programs available to more children, particularly in your area?

TH: In my area, the biggest barrier in making meal programs available to more children is getting the word out about it. It seems like we need to promote the program in the community to increase participation and attract sponsors and administrators to work together.

Q: What about the Y’s summer food program made an impression on you?

TH: What made an impression on me is just how committed the Y is to providing nutritious meals during the summer. In most cases, the YMCA's summer food program isn't limited to providing meals just during the weekdays. Some Ys are expanding their efforts to help more children every day by creating additional resources and programming, such as backpack programs to send children home with food for the weekends, programs focusing on teen engagement, community gardens and YMCA summer camp scholarships. It's pretty amazing.

Q: If you’ve had a chance to observe or participate in the activities of your local Y, what are your impressions on how the local Y helps your  community?

TH: Once a week, I volunteer with Back on My Feet (BOMF), an organization that promotes the self-sufficiency of homeless people by engaging them in running as a means to build confidence, strength and self-esteem. My local Y allows BOMF to use their indoor track during the winter months, so they can do their early morning runs when it's freezing cold outside. The YMCA staff is always so friendly and accommodating.

FEATURED BLOGGER: Chef Timothy Cipriano
Web: www.localfooddude.com
Twitter: @LocalFoodDude

With 20 years of culinary experience, Chef Tim is Executive Director of Food Services for the New Haven, CT Public Schools. One of Tim’s most valuable achievements to date has been introducing more local produce into the school lunch program (including 150,000 CT-grown pounds of in 2010) and working to educate New Haven’s urban students about fresh, healthy and great tasting food choices. NHPS has 46 schools with roughly 20,000 students with a free and reduced percentage of 80%.

Chef Tim has received local & national recognition for integrating lessons about food into school curriculum and for getting students to ask for locally grown, fresh foods; this effort led for him to receive the moniker, Local Food Dude, from a fellow Chef.

Chef Tim volunteers countless hours to supporting programs tied to ending childhood hunger and increasing access to nutritious foods.  Chef has been co-chair of Share Our Strength’s Taste of the Nation New Haven for the last three years and has orchestrated tremendous growth in that event. Because of Chef Tim’s commitment to hunger advocacy, he was named Advocate of the Year by Share Our Strength in October of 2010.

Q: How did you become involved in writing a blog that supports the important issue of eradicating hunger in children?

CTC: In my role as Executive Director of Food Services for New Haven School Food, I see and hear stories of hungry children every day. As a chef and father, I cringe when hearing the stories of hungry kids, and it breaks my heart to think that one in four kids on the playground that my own kids plays with lacks access to nutritious meal every day. As a Chef with a voice that reaches many, it is a great opportunity to push the envelope and get the word out there that hunger is not invisible, that it does exist and that there are people working together to make a difference to end childhood hunger.

Q: Why do you think is important to teach children how to make healthy food choices?

CTC: Changing a child’s view of food itself is important. For a child to have the opportunity to get their hands dirty in the garden or to work side by side with a chef at school is so important; we need these kids, the children of NOW to understand that the food system is broken and needs to be fixed. Opportunities like this are HUGE steps into fixing the system.

Teaching children and families how to shop and cook healthy foods is a great start. When kids feel engaged, they will propel their mind to the next level to learn more.

Q: What was the thing that impressed you the most as you started blogging about your thoughts and stories then seeing feedback from your followers?

CTC: There is a tremendous amount of support to do what is right when it concerns kids, but there are also too many naysayers out there who feel the kids should fend for themselves. We are talking about children here, despite whatever circumstances their families come from we need to be sure we feed our kids, PERIOD!

Q: What about the YMCA’s summer food program made an impression on you?

CTC: The YMCA’s summer food program is a commitment to the kids. Feeding children is very important, but to then have exciting programs for the kids to participate in coupled with the values of the YMCA is a win-win for everyone.

Q: If you’ve had a chance to observe or participate in the activities of your local Y, what are your impressions on how the local Y helps your community?

CTC: I have been involved on and off with a YMCA program, and the YMCA has made a positive impression on the lives of many, many children. My own kids attend a YMCA camp, and the commitment to excellence at that camp is second to none. That level of commitment and dedication trickles down to the children, and you can’t beat that! 

FEATURED BLOGGER: Clay Dunn
Website: www.strength.org
Twitter: @clayndc

Clay Dunn is the Online Community Director at Share Our Strength, where he oversees the organization’s websites, social media, email program and digital partnerships. He is the editor of the No Kid Hungry blog at strength.org/blog.

Q: How did Share Our Strength become involved in writing a blog that supports the important issue of eradicating hunger in children?

CD: Share Our Strength was founded over 25 years ago in response to the Ethiopian famine. Since 2004, our mission has been focused on ending childhood hunger in the U.S. With the rise of the Internet, we found it was important to have an outlet for the organization to share stories about the issue, and our progress combating it.  Though we have been publishing letters from our founder and executive director online for many years (and these read very much like blog posts), the organization has had a more focused blogging effort since July 2009.

Q: Why does Share Our Strength think is important to teach children how to make healthy food choices?

CD: Educating children and families about nutritious, affordable eating is one of our key strategies for ending childhood hunger.  Through our Cooking Matters nutrition education program, we are engaging both adults and children in a hands-on classroom environment where they learn to make good choices at the supermarket and then prepare food for themselves. We see this as a skill that will benefit individuals throughout a lifetime. 

Q: What do you think is one of the biggest barriers in making meal programs available to more children, particularly in your area?

CD: Our No Kid Hungry campaign is engaged in local communities across the country, and though the issues vary with each location, there are common barriers we experience everywhere:  

1. Stigma: Kids and families don’t want to be seen as needing help or unable to provide for themselves.
2. Transportation: Meals sites exist, but kids lack the access to get to them, especially in the summer.
3. Education and outreach: Resources for feeding programs exist all across the country, but individuals are unaware of them or are encountering misinformation about who is eligible.
4. Red Tape: Unnecessary burdens are making it difficult for both providers and participants.

Our No Kid Hungry campaign is focused on eradicating these barriers with custom solutions in each state or city. 

Q: What was the thing that impressed you the most as you started blogging about eradicating hunger in children and empowering kids then seeing feedback from your followers/pledgers?

CD: The thing that has impressed me the most is that childhood hunger in the U.S. is a solvable issue, and there are hundreds of people across the country who are dedicated to making it a reality. The passion and innovation that individuals are bringing to this issue inspire me every day. 

Q: What about the YMCA’s Summer Food Program made an impression on you?

CD: Organizations that play a key role in communities--like the Y--are perfect summer meals sites, and I’m so happy to see that the YMCA’s program is able to feed 70,000 kids this summer.

Q: If you’ve had a chance to observe or participate in the activities of your local Y, what are your impressions on how the local Y helps your community?

CD: Share Our Strength’s headquarters in DC is just around the corner from the Y. It is a hotbed of activity for old and young alike. I’ve actually taken several classes there, in order to become a better swimmer. I love how many adult programs are run out of our local Y. 

Q: If you had unlimited resources what would you do to encourage people to give more attention to this important issue?

CD: If I had unlimited resources in order to raise awareness of this issue, I would take everyone to see what hunger looks like in their city or state. We refer to the issue of childhood hunger as ‘an invisible hunger’ that’s taking place all around us. I think if individuals were able to see the need around them, and how the problem can be solved, we would quickly be able to make No Kid Hungry.

FEATURED BLOGGER: Allison Fine
Web: www.allisonfine.com
Twitter: @AFine

Allison researches and writes about the intersection of social media and social change. She is the co-author of the bestselling book, The Networked Nonprofit, published by Wiley & Sons in 2010.  She also wrote the award-winning book Momentum:  Igniting Social Change in the Connected Age (Wiley & Sons, 2006).

Q: Why do you think it is important to teach children how to make healthy food choices?

AF: Clearly we have an obesity epidemic, as the First Lady [Michelle Obama] is calling it, around the country. If you travel around the world, you see in comparison how heavy Americans are.

There are many implications, both personally and for society with the cost of health care. It is a tremendously important public issue; it is not a private issue any more. This is the perfect issue for the YMCA to pick up with their focus areas of healthy living and social responsibility.

Q: What do you think is one of the biggest barriers in making meal programs available to more children, particularly in your area?

AF: These programs have to reach the parents, and that can be awfully difficult to do. There is the dilemma of parents being overstretched. Hunger is socially a very, very difficult issue because most parents don’t want to admit to people that their children are hungry.

Q: What was the thing that impressed you the most as you started blogging about social media’s impact on social issues and seeing feedback from your followers?

AF: In terms of blogging, the access to the printing press was no longer a barrier for individuals to share information or express opinions. It led to access: people who were previously not able to connect with others can now have conversations with other people who are interested in the same issues.

I think that was the revolution. It’s fundamentally different: the access and the conversations.

Q: What about the YMCA’s summer food program made an impression on you?

AF: I love the accessibility of the program and the urgency of it for right now.

Twitter is a very fun way to do something like this. It is going to be easy to follow the bouncing ball.

Q: What are your impressions on how your local Y helps the community?

AF: We love the family swim program. I have three boys and I really appreciate the opportunity to do something together, especially in the winter.

BLOG TOUR: YMCA OF GREATER BOSTON (Boston, MA): August 23, 2011: Teens Text 4 Food

Through a partnership with local sponsor Project Bread, Boston teens now eat free on weekend nights at the East Boston and Roxbury-Eggleston Teen Centers. We know that the one effective way to encourage teens to participate in Y programming is to feed them, and thanks to our summer food program and Project Bread, teens know that on Saturday and Sunday nights, food complements the other healthy, recreational activities they find at the Y.

Project Bread launched a new texting campaign via billboards and bus stop advertising in English and Spanish in Boston neighborhoods. Boston teens find the locations closest to where they live by using their cell phones and texting a simple number for details.  Teens who would normally receive free or reduced-priced meals during the school year can now easily find nutritious meals throughout the summer.

A grant from Project Bread also helped the Y purchase equipment and recreational supplies to encourage teen participation. This is the first time that the Y has been able to provide free food during specified teen programming hour, and participation is growing rapidly!

BLOG TOUR: YMCA OF GREATER BOSTON (Boston, MA): August 17, 2011: Knucklebones

Boston YMCA kids like to play and eat.

No, we’re really not calling anyone names…that wouldn’t be the Y way! But the Boston YMCA’s Summer Food Sites have been encouraging children to participate in the program by providing summer fun as well as summer food. 

Knucklebones is a Boston based company that’s really into playing—motivating kids to move which gets them hungry. Thanks to supportive summer food grants from Walmart Foundation, the Y was able to offer this play date at all of its YMCA Summer Food locations in Boston this August.  To date, Boston’s summer food count is 89,464 and growing weekly!

BLOG TOUR: YMCA OF THE USA (Chicago, IL): August 10, 2011

Our news release bringing awareness to the gap in food access for youth during summer months has been airing in radio markets across the nation: “To help kids remain well nourished while school’s out, more than 300 Ys across the country will provide seven million healthy meals and snacks to feed 70,000 children.” 

Take a listen!

BLOG TOUR: YMCA of Rowan County (Salisbury, NC): August 6, 2011

Our local Boy Scout Troop 476 stopped in at the Y to help fill 204 weekend backpacks for the YMCA of Rowan County’s first week of summer camp, turning our board room into a food bank.  It was organized chaos!

BLOG TOUR: YMCA of Rowan County (Salisbury, NC): August 3, 2011

Staff and volunteers have been filling bags and bellies since June 17, including these student interns from Catawba College who helped unload and organize the first month’s bulk order.

Have you ever seen so much chicken noodle soup? The Y Director who placed the order noted that it was the largest grocery order ever made, commenting, “Now I know what $8,000 of groceries looks like!”

BLOG TOUR: Hopkins County Family YMCA (Madisonville, Kentucky): July 29, 2011

These colorful bags are a hit with the kids: there are jokes, puzzles, and the food pyramid on each sack, giving them something to talk about and learn while enjoying lunch.

After swimming at the YMCA pool, the kids work up an appetite: “We get real hungry, and the food is so good. I like it!”

BLOG TOUR: Hopkins County Family YMCA (Madisonville, Kentucky): July 28, 2011

The Madisonville Public Library spreads the joy of reading with the Bookmobile to Living Waters Church of God, one of the YMCA sponsored sites. Kids are able to enjoy activities like coloring and of course, enjoying a great book before lunch.

BLOG TOUR: Hopkins County Family YMCA (Madisonville, Kentucky): July 26, 2011

Without the help of these lovely ladies, our summer feeding program would not run as smoothly. In addition to other feeding sites, each morning they prepare meals for every site the YMCA sponsors, making it possible for 685 kids to have a lunch.

BLOG TOUR: Hopkins County Family YMCA (Madisonville, Kentucky): July 24, 2011

We are having a great summer in Madisonville!  We’ve had excessive heat warnings issued for the past two weeks, so we’ve been trying to stay cool!  At our YMCA Kids Center site on July 20, the Madisonville Fire Department stopped by to cool the kids off with their water hose.  They all were very appreciative of the firemen!  After the water ran out, the kids ate their lunches provided by the Summer Food Program and listened to the firemen tell them about fire safety.

BLOG TOUR: YMCA of Metropolitan Chattanooga (Chattanooga, TN): July 23, 2011

Today’s Highlight: Northside Neighborhood House (NNHS).  NNHS is a unique agency here in Chattanooga that we are proud to partner with for Summer Feeding.  Their central message is simple and profound: providing those in need “a hand-up, not a hand-out.”

The kids at NNHS are full of energy and always glad to see our site coordinator, Catherine Garvey, arrive with the lunches.  What a true blessing this site has been to our program.  

On the menu today: a delicious chicken wrap served with fresh salsa, a crispy red apple, baked chips and milk.  No leftovers here! 

BLOG TOUR: YMCA of Metropolitan Chattanooga (Chattanooga, TN): July 21, 2011

Hello again from Chattanooga! Throughout the summer, our summer food program has had two purposes: 1) supply nutritious meals to all participants, thanks to the grant from Walmart, and 2) make available organized physical activity through a supporting program we call “MobileFit.” MobileFit is made possible by several supporting grants, including from the United Way.

Our goal with MobileFit is simple: provide physical activity through fun. Our staff provides games and education that encourage the children to “choose to move.”

Through hands-on experience featuring both nutrition and exercise, it is our hope that the kids will incorporate healthy living into their lives every day.

BLOG TOUR: YMCA of Metropolitan Chattanooga (Chattanooga, TN): July 18, 2011

It’s hard to believe we are over half-way through our first Summer Feeding Program here in Chattanooga!  It is our desire to provide kids with a nutritious meal daily that includes fresh fruits and vegetables.  During the month of June we served over 4,500 meals at eight locations. 

Our mornings start at 6 a.m. with food prep at the Chattanooga Food Bank (pictured above).  We have been blessed with a great staff that love the kids and are committed to our program.

BLOG TOUR: YMCA and JCC of Greater Toledo (Toledo, OH): July 14, 2011

We are excited to share the news that the YMCA and JCC of Greater Toledo, during the month of June, served 14,109 meals for the Summer Food Program. That is a 1,000% (one-thousand percent) increase from last year. Thanks for funding from Walmart, we were able to expand the program from two sites to 13 sites, and more children were fed during the first week of our Summer Food Program than the entire total for last year.

An important nutritional note about our program is that in addition to the lunch, the children receive a healthy snack later in the day, such as a fresh fruit or vegetable, every single day.

Download [Windows Media Player, 2MB]

Enjoy media coverage of the Summer Food Program from WTVG (our local ABC affiliate). Says Todd Tibits, President and CEO of YMCA and JCC of Greater Toledo, “This absolutely is a program that is all about the kids and the communities which they’re at.”

BLOG TOUR: YMCA of Metro Chicago (Chicago, IL): July 11, 2011

“It is important to eat a healthy meal everyday. You can get sick if you don’t eat enough. The box lunch helps your mom not to have to pack you a lunch because the YMCA gives you one. This helps my mom a lot, especially if she doesn’t feel well. My favorite lunch so far is the tortillas [the Italian wraps] and my favorite snack is the granola bars.”

Kara B., age 8
2011 summer food program participant

BLOG TOUR: YMCA of Idaho Falls (Idaho Falls, ID): July 7, 2011

With the money from the enhancement grant we have been able to add to our meals.  Kids have really enjoyed breakfast burritos with real scrambled eggs.  We have also introduced whole fresh fruits into our menu.  Blueberries, strawberries, fresh watermelon and cantaloupe have been huge favorites.  Today we served turkey wraps, a new item for our menu.  It is a cold wrap that is well received on a hot Idaho Day.  Also popular this summer is our fresh chef salads - made with lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers, cheese, ham and turkey.  A light ranch dressing finishes the salad with a roll and milk on the side.

BLOG TOUR: YMCA of Idaho Falls (Idaho Falls, ID): July 6, 2011

We are having a great summer in Idaho Falls. We were so excited to have the enhancement grant money and have been improving our area, our meals, and the activities we are offering the kids in the summer food program. We began by fixing up the walls and floor of our dining area. I was amazed at the difference a fresh coat of paint made in the area. The enhancement grant also allowed us to make the dining room one that many of the area kids are excited to come to. With the help of another local grant we were able to purchase a new kid sized table and chairs for the area. One of the children said it was “amazing”.

Click on the photo above to see before and after photos.

BLOG TOUR: YMCA of Silicon Valley (San Jose, CA): June 30, 2011: Lessons and Lunch: East Palo Alto Y Creative Summer Food Programming

With some creative thinking, community collaboration, and great tasting nutritious food, the Lewis and Joan Platt East Palo Alto Family YMCA in East Palo Alto, CA brings summer meals to the pool.  The East Palo Alto Y traditionally provided summer camp participants an opportunity to take part in the USDA’s Summer Food Service Program (SFSP), serving nutritious breakfast and lunch to 60 underprivileged youth daily. This summer, the Y was looking to extend the summer meal program or SFSP to include “swim lessons and lunch.” 

The East Palo Alto Y in collaboration with the local non-profit Girls to Women, brings an additional 50 young women from underserved neighborhoods to the Y to learn to swim, receive a healthy lunch and nutrition education from local health educators.

BLOG TOUR: YMCA of Silicon Valley (San Jose, CA): June 29, 2011: Summer learning; not a loss for our Y youth!

Although a large number of our local schools are closed for the summer, our Y summer youth participants are actively engaged in “summer learning.”

On any given day at Terrell Y Summer Nutrition Program in San Jose, CA you will find youth participating in a variety of activities that spark curiosity. Today, the 3rd graders are prepping for their skit, “good fats versus bad fats” while a group of 4th grade boys are learning the Samba. Across the way, the Kindergartners planted cilantro while they learned the meaning of the word “antioxidant” in Spanish and English.

This is what summer is supposed to be about: playing, thinking, creating, and ultimately learning outside the classroom in active, fun ways.

BLOG TOUR: YMCA of Silicon Valley (San Jose, CA): June 28, 2011: Take a try bite

At the Y in Silicon Valley, CA summer youth participants are not only enjoying their camp activities, they are starting a “food” revolution in their community.
Partnering with Revolution Foods as our summer meals vendor, the Y not only provides healthy-fresh meals, but are educating youth about the importance of proper nutrition, exercise, and to take a “try bite.”

So, what is a try bite?

We know that some youth are really apprehensive to try new foods and to encourage them, Y staff have created the “try bite” motto. All youth are asked to try the new food first and then provide constructive feedback about the food they are eating.  Youth write this in their daily journals or talk about their experience in their camp groups.
At the end of the day, the real revolution is hearing our 4th and 5th graders say “Pluots (hybrid of a plum and apricot) are awesome!!”

BLOG TOUR: YMCA of the USA: June 22, 2011

Our annual summer food program is well under way, and we are thrilled to be partnering with Walmart to distribute seven million meals to 70,000 kids from coast to coast. Child nutrition is a big deal to us here at the Y, and we are proud of our efforts to fuel kids during the summer months when access to a school meal program is limited.

Join us on our blog tour this summer, as Y locations check in to give you an exclusive insider look into the program.