This story appears in the June 3-9 edition of The Centre County Gazette.
Many kids rely on school lunch to get the nutrition they need. And with food insecurity at an all-time high due to the pandemic, quality sources for getting young people this valued nutrition are becoming much harder to come by.
A popular program now entering its 17th year is helping the cause: the YMCA of Centre County Summer Lunch Program. Although the learning stops when that final school bell rings this month, the feeding won’t.
“There are literally thousands of children throughout the county that depend on the schools’ free/reduced (price) lunch program. Unfortunately, when school closes those meals are no longer available for the children and these children need to find alternative food sources,” said Mel Curtis, director of the Moshannon Valley YMCA branch.