Help spread the word: The Y fights child hunger this summer with help from Walmart

Photo courtesy YMCA

From the Dale Turner YMCA in Shoreline

The Y Fights Child Hunger This Summer with Help from the Walmart Foundation

The Dale Turner Family YMCA joins national effort to provide 7 million meals to children this summer, as part of Walmart’s Summer Giving Campaign

When the school year ends, so do free meals for the millions of children in low-income households who depend on them most. This summer, the Dale Turner Family YMCA is offering free nutritious meals to those children in need in Shoreline, thanks to a $45,000 grant from YMCA of the USA (Y-USA) and Walmart to feed more children through the national Summer Food Service Program. The program, run by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), provides free meals to children aged 18 and under while school is out of session. Nationally, more than 300 Ys will provide 7 million meals to 70,000 children this summer.

According to the USDA, 19.5 million low-income children receive free or reduced-cost meals during the school year. As part of the Dale Turner Family YMCA’s summer food program, children aged 18 and under will continue to receive one lunch each day. Not only will this help hundreds of children get nutrition they need for good health, but it also will help alleviate the strain on family food budgets when school is out.

“Millions of children and families are at greater risk for hunger in the summer months,” says Risa Hartman, Associate Executive Director of the Dale Turner Family YMCA. “With so many children who lose access to daily meals when the school lunch program is over, the Dale Turner Family YMCA is committed to stepping in and helping to ensure our children stay healthy and strong.”

The Dale Turner Family YMCA’s summer food program received funding as part of Walmart’s Summer Giving Campaign – a broad $25 million initiative aimed at filling the gaps created when schools close this summer. The initiative will help expand nutrition, learning and employment services to more than 110,000 U.S. middle and high school students throughout the summer months. Walmart contributed a $3 million grant to Y-USA to address child hunger.

The Dale Turner Family YMCA is teaming up with the Vineyards Church/Turning Point and Ronald United Methodist Church, to offer multiple lunch sites this summer. See the information below to find a site near you.

Ronald United Methodist Church

17839 Aurora Avenue North

Shoreline, WA 98133

Date of Service: June 20 – August 26; Monday – Friday

Meal Type: Lunch

Fun activities for youth and teens will be offered directly following the meal.

Meal Time: 11:45am – 12:45pm

For more information contact: Risa Hartman at 206 569 7002

The Vineyards Church/Turning Point

14800 1st Ave NE

Shoreline, WA 98155

Date of Service: July 11 – August 17; Mondays & Wednesdays

Meal Type: Lunch

Meal Time: 12:15 – 1:15pm

For more information contact: Aimee Accetturo at 206 363 4003

Help the Y Raise Awareness

The need to provide healthy meals to children over the summer is critical, as more families struggle with the issue of hunger. To help generate awareness, supporters are invited to tweet about the Y’s hunger efforts with the hashtag #YFightHunger on Twitter (e.g., “the Y is feeding 70,000 kids this summer. #YFightHunger). The Y’s goal is to collect 70,000 “tweets” to represent each of the 70,000 children that the Y will feed this summer. This live Twitter feed will appear on a webpage on the Y’s national website, ymca.net.

To learn more about the Dale Turner Family’s summer food program, visit the website and click on the Summer Lunch Program link.

About the Y

The Y is one of the nation’s leading nonprofits strengthening communities through youth development, healthy living and social responsibility. Across the U.S., 2,700 Ys engage 21 million men, women and children – regardless of age, income or background – to nurture the potential of children and teens, improve the nation’s health and well-being, and provide opportunities to give back and support neighbors. Anchored in more than 10,000 communities, the Y has the long-standing relationships and physical presence not just to promise, but to deliver, lasting personal and social change.

About Philanthropy at Walmart

Walmart and the Walmart Foundation are proud to support initiatives that are helping people live better around the globe. In May 2010, Walmart and its Foundation made a historic pledge of $2 billion through 2015 to fight hunger in the U.S. The Walmart Foundation also supports education, workforce development, environmental sustainability, and health and wellness initiatives. To learn more, visit the foundation website.