MONROE – A summer nutrition program in Monroe was honored with a visit from the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
On Thursday, two federal government employees traveled to Monroe to see the Monroe Family YMCA’s summer meal distribution program in action. This summer, the local Y plans to distribute more than 35,000 meals to children in Monroe County.
Carrie Powell, director of hunger initiatives at the Y, said the Monroe Family YMCA has received the national Turnip the Beet Award for its food program for the past six years, but this is the first in-person visit from the USDA.
USDA Senior Advisor Jayme Holliday of Washington, DC, and USDA Midwest Food and Nutrition Services Public Affairs Specialist Sandra MacMartin of Chicago toured the food preparation center at Monroe County Community College and then viewed a meal service at the Luna Pier Branch Library. The tour also included local officials and staff from the Michigan Department of Education and the YMCA of the USA. The day-long visit concluded with a roundtable discussion.
The Monroe Family YMCA offers community meals for gathering and eating on-site at various locations throughout the county, as well as meals for non-congregation members. Like the Monroe Public Schools and Jefferson Schools programs, the non-congregation member option allows youth to pick up and take home multiple days’ worth of meal packages.
“We distribute hundreds of meals in just a few minutes, and with each distribution, there are none left over. This is certainly a bittersweet situation. Recognizing how great the need is is humbling, but we are proud that we are well positioned to offer a program that meets this vital need,” said Amanda Schmitz, who oversees meal delivery at the Y.
The government visitors watched as YMCA volunteers packed food packages at MCCC. The YMCA packages contain seven dinners and seven breakfasts and are assembled by volunteers and five YMCA staff members. Food items such as chicken parmesan, fruit, and white and chocolate milk went into the packages on Thursday. During the tour, Holliday helped the volunteers pack the packages.
“What really impresses me about the Monroe Family YMCA Summer Nutrition Program is that not only does it help children and teens grow and learn in Monroe, but the Monroe Family YMCA has also developed a model to empower other YMCAs in Michigan so that its tremendous efforts are having an impact across Michigan,” Holliday said.
This summer, Holliday also visited youth nutrition programs in Maine, Wisconsin, Nevada and Oklahoma.
“We’re really excited. Monroe represents us so well and shows what can happen,” said Stacey McDaniel of Chicago, national director of strategy and quality practices and hunger initiatives at the YMCA of the USA.
Deanne Kelleher, director of child nutrition and registered dietitian for the Michigan Department of Education, said the Monroe Family YMCA “sets the standard. It’s a great program.” She said meals for non-community members fill a great need.
“In rural areas, it is difficult to come every day. The children may have to travel a long way or may not have transportation. You can pick them up once or twice a week,” she said during the MCCC visit.
After touring the MCCC kitchen, visitors headed to the Luna Pier library branch. Powell said the Y has been offering meals at the library for five years.
“It’s a typical get-together and meal,” Powell said. “The kids drive up and go up.”
Holliday was impressed that the library offers children activities after lunch.
The Monroe Family YMCA’s summer meal distribution program began around 2014. Until a few months ago, meal preparation took place in the basement of Trinity Lutheran Church, said Kristin Irwin, CEO of the YMCA.
“It was a shared space. We’ve outgrown it. We’ve been at MCCC since April,” Irwin said.
Previous reporting: MCCC and Monroe YMCA partner to distribute food in the community
The Y works with the Monroe County Opportunity Program and other local partners to procure food.
“We are very excited to work with our partners in the community,” Irwin said.
Summer nutrition programs
In 1968, the federal government began summer nutrition programs for youth.
“It was a three-year pilot project and was permanently authorized as an entitlement program in fiscal year 1975,” MacMartin said. “It was created to ensure that children from low-income families have access to balanced meals outside of school hours.”
Currently, the government offers three statewide summer nutrition programs for youth. Monroe County has all three.
Meals have been provided to church members or in-person since the 1960s. Last summer, the USDA introduced meals for non-church members. New this year is the Summer EBT Program, which provides $120 for summer grocery purchases.
According to the Michigan Department of Education, three organizations in Monroe County offered summer nutrition programs for youth in 2023.
Monroe Public Schools provided 5,855 breakfasts and 7,073 lunches in 2023. Jefferson Schools provided 4,260 breakfasts, 3,860 lunches and 1,661 snacks in 2023. Monroe Family YMCA provided 12,729 breakfasts, 16,611 lunches, 675 dinners and 4,014 snacks in 2023.
Schmitz said that in addition to these local meals, the Monroe Family YMCA is also a sponsor of the meal program offered by the Michigan YMCA Association.
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“The Michigan YMCA Association plans to serve more than 65,000 total meals through our grant. To date, more than 40,000 meals have been provided. Through USDA-supported programs, YMCAs across the state have served 54 million meals in 2023,” Schmitz said.
Holliday said Michigan is one of about 43 states that currently offer summer nutrition programs for youth, with more states expected to join in 2025. Every state offers school-year nutrition programs, serving 31 million students every day, Holliday said.
— Contact reporter Suzanne Nolan Wisler at [email protected].
