July 2024 – The Y was pleased to showcase the impact of the Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) to representatives from the USDA in July. Meg Helming, COO of the YMCA Alliance, represented the Maine YMCAs at a USDA roundtable in Portland, ME with USDA-Food Nutrition Services Acting Under Secretary Kumar Chandran. They discussed the important role schools and community-based organizations like the YMCA play in feeding children during the summer months. Meg was pleased to highlight the Bath YMCA’s veggie van that delivers SFSP meals-to-go (non-congregate) at various drop-off sites in the mid-coast area.

The next day, The Granite YMCA hosted Deputy Secretary of Agriculture Xochitl Torres Small (center, in yellow sweater), NH Commissioner of Education Frank Edelblut, Manchester Mayor Jay Ruais, other community leaders, and YMCA of the USA staff for a tour and roundtable highlighting their USDA feeding programs in Manchester, NH. Granite’s team showed off their commercial kitchen that allows them to prepare hundreds of meals and snacks each day for children in their childcare and camp programs.

Collectively, the 25 YMCAs in ME, NH and VT serve more than 1 million meals and snacks to children in their communities each year.