AUGUSTA, Ga. (WJBF) – The Family YMCA of Greater Augusta is providing free meals to children all summer long through their Summer Food Service Program.
Some neighborhoods within the CSRA don’t have a local YMCA and can have a hard time benefiting from resources, which is why YMCA Headquarters is excited to bring back “Y on the Fly,” which will provide meals for families and bring fun to rural communities.
“You know, a lot of people don’t know. They think the Y is just, ‘Oh, you go to the Wilson Y,’ you work out and get a membership. I’m like, ‘No, no, no,’ ‘Don’t you know that those bags that a lot of kids are getting are ours?'” said LaShonda Robertson, a driver and meal program staffer at the YMCA headquarters.
And it all starts at the YMCA headquarters, where several staff members help prepare the meals throughout the day, then load them into vans and send them off for delivery.
“We’ll park a van in these rural areas and provide activities, coloring books, reading books, little toys that may have been donated…” said Cheryl Wert, chief financial officer for the YMCA of Greater Augusta.
The effort began during the pandemic when food needs were even higher, and now staff say they’re excited the program can once again serve rural families.
“School’s out, kids are at home, they’re eating more, but families who get food stamps aren’t getting more food stamps,” Wert said. “But they still need to feed their kids two meals a day, breakfast and lunch. I wondered how I could help.”
Staff said many nonprofits have provided the answer to that question by partnering with local organizations to make meals available and keep families satisfied.
“We partner with Golden Harvest so all of our locations are food pantries as well. They’re all YMCAs. We’re facilities for working families. They can pick up food bags to feed their families, but we also provide meals at the YMCA,” Wert said.
“Y on the Fly is the best. We’re the best because we do so much for the community…” Robertson said.
Y on the Fly delivers Monday through Saturday to areas throughout Georgia and South Carolina. For a list of locations and times, visit their website. here.
