Summer break changes more than just a family’s schedule. For many parents, it also means stretching grocery budgets further without the support of school meals.
At the YMCA of Chilton County, a United Way of Central Alabama (UWCA) partner agency, a summer feeding program helps ease that burden by providing free meals to children and families throughout the community each weekday.
The program primarily serves children enrolled in the YMCA’s summer camp, but it is open to anyone in the community who needs support.
“We open it up so that anybody in the community can come in,” said Lori Patterson, CEO of the YMCA of Chilton County.
Making Meals Easy to Access
That flexibility helps remove barriers for families facing a variety of challenges. There are no membership requirements, registrations or eligibility criteria to participate.
Each morning, the YMCA serves breakfast to roughly 90 people. Lunch reaches anywhere from 200 to 270 individuals each day.
Some families stop in during meal times, while others call ahead to coordinate pickup.
“We’ll have people call and say, ‘It’s me and my four kids — is that okay?’” Patterson said. “If they call ahead, we’ll have lunch ready and bring it out front so they can just pick it up in the lobby.”
Staff also prepare for unexpected visits.
“We always try to have a few extra,” she said. “So if people just stop by, we can still serve them.”
Support from partners such as United Way, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the Alabama State Department of Education help make the program possible.
“It helps us buy better quality food,” Patterson said. “It also helps us staff our kitchen appropriately so that we have enough people to cook, clean, stock and order.”
Helping Children Build Healthy Connections to Food
YMCA of Chilton County also gives children a hands-on connection to the food they eat through its community garden.
For the past four years, youth have helped plant, maintain and harvest fruits and vegetables throughout the year, including strawberries, beans, peas, broccoli, cabbage and squash.
“The kids grow a lot of food in there,” Patterson said. “They’re much more likely to try different vegetables and fruits if they’ve grown it and had a part in that.”
Children work alongside staff and volunteers throughout the year, learning where food comes from and how it connects to the meals they eat each day.
Providing Support in Every Season
The summer feeding program is one part of a broader effort that continues throughout the school year. During the academic year, the YMCA also operates an evening feeding program that serves dinner to children in after-school programs and other community members.
“We just try to make sure it’s there for whoever needs it,” Patterson said.
Through that approach, the YMCA of Chilton County continues providing reliable support for families across the community during the summer months and beyond.