YMCA’s Summer Food Program Fights Hunger, Eases Financial Strain for Families Facing Rising Grocery Costs

May 13, 2025 at 09:00 AM EDT

CHICAGO, May 13, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The latest Household Food Security Report from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Economic Research Service confirms what anti-hunger advocates have warned: hunger in America is rising at alarming rates and has not improved since the pandemic; in fact, it’s getting worse. In 2023, 47.4 million people lived in households experiencing food insecurity—an increase of 3.2 million compared to 2022. Even more troubling, 13.8 million children lived in households that struggled to access adequate food, up 3.2 percent from the previous year. Children who lack access to nutritious meals see lifelong affects from low achievement in school to poor health and chronic disease in adulthood.

As grocery prices continue to rise, families across the country are feeling the strain—especially during the summer months when school meal programs pause, leaving parents to spend an estimated $300 more per child on food. To help bridge this gap, the YMCA’s Summer Food Program is stepping up to provide over 57 million free nutritious meals to over 2 million children at Y locations nationwide, ensuring kids stay healthy, active, and ready for the school year ahead.

"The summer months should be a time of joy for kids, not stress for parents wondering how they’ll afford extra meals,” said Stacey McDaniel, Director of Anti-Hunger Strategy for YMCA of the USA. “By providing free meals and snacks, the Y is not just filling stomachs—we’re helping families stretch their budgets, offering kids a safe place to connect, and making sure they return to school well-nourished and ready to learn.”

While summer is a key focus, the YMCA provides millions of meals and snacks to children year-round, serving communities of all sizes—from urban centers to rural towns. In addition to nutritious food, many locations offer enrichment activities, outdoor play, and social opportunities—helping kids develop friendships and stay engaged while their parents focus on work or other responsibilities.

Across the country, YMCAs are finding unique and creative ways to alleviate hunger in their communities, such as:

La Crosse Area Family YMCA: A community Food Forest gives the residents of La Crosse, WI the opportunity to grow food together, rehabilitate the local ecosystem and provide healthy educational opportunities for residents and families. More info can be found here.
YMCA of Southeastern North Carolina: The Y is meeting the community where they are in southeastern North Carolina over the summer, providing children with a box of 7 breakfasts and 7 lunches every week until school starts at distribution sites across the community. More info can be found here.
YMCA of Centre County: The Farm is an educational project designed to teach children and families in Pennsylvania the importance of growing fruits and vegetables to support healthy eating habits. The food harvested each year is distributed to families in need, with a long-term goal of creating a learning kitchen to demonstrate how to prepare these farm-grown foods. More info can be found here.
YMCA of Greater Boston: In addition to their new Collaborative Food Access Hub where fresh fruits, vegetables and pantry items are assembled and loaded onto delivery trucks for families, the YMCA of Greater Boston also offers a Mobile Market, a free service for Boston residents which allows families to “shop” for the food items they like. More info can be found here.
YMCA of Western North Carolina: The Healthy Opportunity Pilot program aims to make healthy lifestyles accessible for all. The YMCA of Western North Carolina is working with local health and medical professionals to help address food insecurity amongst at-risk populations through providing meal boxes containing a week’s worth of nutritious food and simple recipes. More info can be found here.

Visit TheYFeedsKids.org for additional information.

About the Y
Driven by its founding mission, the Y has served as a leading nonprofit committed to strengthening community for more than 175 years. The Y empowers everyone, no matter who they are or where they’re from, by ensuring access to resources, relationships, and opportunities for all to learn, grow and thrive. By bringing together people from different backgrounds, perspectives and generations, the Y’s goal is to improve overall health and well-being, ignite youth empowerment and demonstrate the importance of connections in and across 10,000 communities nationwide. Learn more at ymca.org.

Contact:
YMCA of the USA
312-419-8418
media@ymca.net