Social Responsibility at the Y

Walk into any YMCA and you’ll see staff and volunteers wearing “Ask Me Why” buttons. If you ask “Why?” at the Eastern Shore Family YMCA, you would learn that for many, it’s because of the numerous behind-the-scenes activities that benefit those in need.

One of those activities began at the beginning of 2014. On select Fridays from January to May, eight staff members and four volunteers filled backpacks full of food for Foodbank recipients living on the Eastern Shore. A total of 405 bags would be packed on each of those Fridays and distributed to seven elementary schools in Accomack County and Northampton County. Each bag included two breakfasts, two lunches, and two healthy snacks. The bags would then be sent home with the children that same day, or the last day before a school holiday throughout the school year.

Those involved don’t do it for the recognition, however. They do it out of a sense of service to the community. YMCA staff and volunteers are driven by the Y’s areas of focus, which are nurturing the potential of every child and teen through youth development, improving individuals’ well being through healthy living, and supporting our neighbors through social responsibility. Through the numerous efforts of those at the Eastern Shore Family YMCA, combined with the Foodbank of Southeastern Virginia, staff and volunteers are fulfilling those values, making a difference, and helping to change lives along the way.