Oil City YMCA Feeds Local Kids in Free Food Program

| November 1, 2019

OIL CITY, Pa. – The Oil City YMCA is alleviating child hunger in Venango County through a new Youth Food Program.

The program runs throughout the school year and is offered every Monday and Thursday from 6:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at the YMCA for kids age 18 and under.

“Many children go hungry every day in Venango County,” said Executive Director, Tom Spence.  “Our staff noticed that many of the children who come to the Y daily haven’t had a meal since their school lunch.  We began keeping food on hand to feed kids and realized we could fill a large need by offering regular meals to all children in the community.”

More than 16 million children and teens under the age of 18 live with food insecurity, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). When the school day ends, many of these youth are at risk of going hungry.

Combining academics and nutrition, the Y is offering a Food Program to provide children with nutrition and academic enrichment activities so they can be healthy and succeed in school.  All children are invited to attend the enrichment activities and can receive help with homework from 5:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.

As part of the focus on youth development, healthy living and social responsibility, the Y is committed to keeping children nourished all year long. Through the Food Program, the Y is providing learning enrichment and physical activities to keep minds and bodies active, while also serving healthy food.

The YMCA is looking for volunteers to help cook and serve food on Mondays and Thursdays from approximately 6:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.  Anyone who wishes to help should stop by the YMCA to fill out a volunteer application.  Clearances are required, but are provided free of charge to volunteers.

For More Information

For more information about the Oil City YMCA and Y programs, please visit the YMCA website at www.oilcityymca.org, call 814-677-3000 and follow the Y on Facebook.

YMCA Hours

The Oil City YMCA hours are Monday through Friday 6:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. and Saturdays 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m..

(Article submitted by Michelle Murray, Marketing & Membership Director, Clarion County YMCA, Oil City YMCA, and YMCA Camp Coffman)

Oil City YMCA and exploreVenango.com have partnered to provide the community with YMCA News. This is an exclusive article only found on exploreVenango.com.


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