Just like what we’re seeing at grocery stores the Centre County YMCA’s anti-hunger program is struggling to obtain food supplies to distribute to families in need.
It’s yet another challenge for a program seeing an increased number of clients.
Despite the fact they’ve distributed thousands of pounds of food-funding for the Centre Y’s Anti-hunger campaign doesn’t come from where a lot have received a financial boost in recent months.
“We don’t receive any COVID relief money from the county, at least for our food program,” explained director Mel Curtis. “We don’t receive any government COVID money.
Donations and contributions are coming in from elsewhere, with a lot of the labor provided by hundreds of volunteers.
The program provides food and other goods to those in need in Centre and Clearfield counties and they’re looking to expand.
“We want to get into the communities that were missing,” Curtis said. “In the Centre region and Penns Valley that’s so vast and where people have limited means.”
In terms of the Centre region, surprisingly, a growing number of clients for food assistance are Penn State students.
“Things at Penn State are going very well,” Curtis explained. “There are ones who, pre-COVID, had jobs in restaurants and bar and now they don’t. It’s their decision. But it’s putting a spike in their economy in terms of what they can and can’t do.”
Along with food, a constant need for the Anti-hunger campaign is volunteers.
Contact the Centre County YMCA if you’re interested.
