The USDA measures food insecurity as a lack of access to enough food for an active, healthy life for all household members and a limited or uncertain availability of nutritionally adequate foods. In 2017, it was estimated that more than 4,000 people living in Lincoln County were struggling with food insecurity, even if that need wasn’t present all the time. Fast forward to 2020 and the harsh realities of a global pandemic, widespread job losses, and continued uncertainty and it’s no wonder that food insecurity has increased tenfold across the nation. As you might expect, we haven’t been spared here at home either.

That’s where the Y and other organizations committed to the prosperity of this beautiful community come in. Between Nov. 12 and Nov. 20, the Boothbay Region YMCA collected more than 1,300 non-perishable food items for the Y’s annual Fill the Bus Food Drive in partnership with the Boothbay Region Food Pantry. This record breaking feat was made possible through generous collaborations with the Boothbay Harbor Memorial Library, Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences, Tindal & Callahan Real Estate, and First Federal Savings Bank, who all graciously served as additional drop off locations for the drive.

Moreover, partnerships with Y Wellness Director Abby Jones and yoga instructor Romee May of Yoga Firm Studio, BRYMCA, and Crow Point Yoga, raised an additional $2,815 through contributions made to Romee’s indelible Zoom Yoga class presented on Thanksgiving Day. Romee has generously been bringing the community together in this way for the past 12 years. Thank you to everyone who participated in this class and for your generous donations! The money raised will additionally be matched by pass-through grant funds secured by the Y at $500, totaling $3,315 in monetary donations to the food pantry through the Fill the Bus initiative.

The Y has increased its focus on food insecurity since 2019, when several grants were secured to start a weekend meal program for area youth. Since then, the program has expanded with the help of Laurie Dickinson, Heidi Stevens, and the AOS 98 Rocky Coast School System to provide nutrition breakfasts, lunches, and snacks to families in the community, six days a week. After the widespread shutdown, the Y began serving grab ’n go meals located in the lobby of the Y for easy, safe, and discreet meal pick up. The program now serves to individuals of any age — no questions asked, with plans to add additional meal sites at the Harbor Montessori School and Boothbay Harbor Memorial Library moving into 2021.

For more information on ways you can support food insecurity initiatives at the Y and beyond, please contact: Steph Tucker, Outreach Coordinator, Stucker@brymca.org, 633-2855, ext. 292.