ATLANTA — The YMCA of Metro Atlanta hit a milestone Thursday by donating their one-millionth free meal since the start of the pandemic.
Volunteers handed out meals at the East Lake Family YMCA drive-thru food distribution event.
When the pandemic started, the organization decided to use its resources to meet the pressing needs of Atlanta communities. They saw that hunger and food insecurity was a big issue plaguing local families and decided to station food distribution locations across Metro Atlanta, organizers said.
Chief Social Impact Officer of the Metro Atlanta YMCA, Allison Toller explained how the organization stepped up, even when the pandemic shut them down.
“Since the start of the pandemic, that was March 16th for the Y when we shut our doors, a week later, we began turning all of our branches into a massive food distribution network, and so since that day to today, we have distributed a million meals," she said.
Families and individuals were provided with food boxes that contained "a balance of items" designed to help them create about two to three meals for a week.
Although this is a big achievement for the organization, they are still aware of the issues facing the community, as the rise in prices for basic goods has made it harder for many families.
“Food is a basic necessity and from what we’re hearing from the members and volunteers, and from the communities in metro Atlanta, there is still a tremendous need, and we want to be here to meet the needs of the community,” said Toller.
She believes that despite the Y’s 65 partners, it’s the volunteers who really keep the initiative going strong.
“We couldn’t do this work without the help of our volunteers. Here at East Lake, we have volunteers that come week after week and they are the backbone of this operation. They make it happen," she said.
The next food distribution event will take place in two weeks at the East Lake Family YMCA.