COVER STORY
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THE ABC'S OF THE
by Sean McCarthy
A 35-year-old learns to swim. A 72-year-old learns a new dance. A mother of three learns to cook healthy meals. The YMCA is more than “a gym and a swim.”
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egardless of age, ability or income, YMCA Southcoast is reaching out to you. With locations from Swansea to Wareham, YMCA Southcoast is partnering with regional organizations with the understanding that strengthening our communities means investing in individuals and families in a wide array of ways. From child care to education to exercise, the YMCA’s health initiatives aim to treat the complete person, including how they eat and how they move, how they learn and how they grow. The Y knows that there are many approaches to health and wellness. “There’s something for everybody at the Y, we have resources for the entire family,” says Robyn Branco, Director of Mission Administration. “We are a
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place to grow, whether you’re a child, a parent, or a senior.” You may be surprised to find out that the modern mission of the YMCA goes far beyond a basketball game or a dip in the pool. These regional branches are improving lives in areas such as food insecurity, education in diabetes treatment and prevention, programs for cancer survivors and their families, social activities for seniors, childcare, employment opportunities for teens, and more. In many cases, the programming is financially supported – a greater benefit for those in need. In just one year, the Y distributes between $750,000 - $900,000 in financial aid across all program areas including camp, membership and childcare.In 2006, YMCA Southcoast
January 2023 | The South Coast Insider
took a significant step towards helping the community with the establishment of Sharing the Harvest Community Farm. A partnership with the United Way of Greater New Bedford’s Hunger Commission, the volunteer-driven project grows produce on a four-anda-half acre site in Dartmouth that is distributed to the underserved through local food pantries and senior development organizations in the South Coast region. This year Sharing the Harvest distributed over 20,000 meals. The organization was particularly effective during the COVID-19 pandemic, as they teamed with the Greater Boston Food Bank to form an Emergency Mobile Market known as the Full Plate Project. The group was available two to three days a week,