Hundreds of YMCA volunteers turn feeding thousands of Centre County residents into reality
When the Centre County YMCA summer lunch program had to start three months early, Mel Curtis didn’t think the anti-hunger program had the resources to feed every child in need.
But after hundreds volunteered to help in a matter of days, the executive director of the Moshannon Valley branch knows one thing for sure — he will never run out of food.
“The community, the volunteers, they want to be part of something,” Curtis said. “Nobody is looking for sainthood; they just want to help.”
From food and monetary donations to tractor-trailers, coolers and a van to help deliver food, each day comes with a new form of support, Curtis said. Over the past month, the YMCA has established 32 feeding sites in Centre and Clearfield counties, five drive-thru soup locations, six food giveaway points, a home delivery service, two family centers and partnerships with six local businesses and restaurants.
“Many of the volunteers have never volunteered and don’t even have a membership at a YMCA, but they want to help feed children,” Curtis said. “The partnerships we are developing are beyond most people’s imagination.”
Sue Winters, a food service worker in the Philipsburg-Osceola School District, starts working at 5 a.m. in the middle school kitchen. Joined by district employee Lisa Suhoney and volunteers, Mandy Schaffer and Cindy Vasquez, they make thousands of meals for the lunch program every week.
At first, Winters and Suhoney were the only two working in the kitchen — packing around 300-400 lunches a day, but when thousands of kids were showing up at the distribution sites, they needed more help.
“They come in faithfully everyday and help us,” Winters said.
Schaffer and Vasquez bartend and have been out of work since the statewide shutdown. Rather than sit at home, the two thought volunteering would be an opportunity to stay busy and give back to the community.
“I’m not working, so I need something to do,” Vasquez said. “And, it’s a good feeling — giving back.”
Although they can’t wait to go back to their regular jobs, Schaffer and Vasquez said helping has been rewarding, and they wish more people would take advantage of the anti-hunger program.
“There’s some people who think, ‘Oh, we’ve got food at home. We don’t need to.’ But, that’s not how they should look at it. It’s for everybody,” Winters said. “It’s here — eat it. It’s not welfare.”
Throughout the week, Lisa Hahn, a substitute teacher, operates a drive-thru site at the Columbia Fire Company in Osceola Mills. Passing out soup, groceries and masks for two hours every day, she also donates six hours of her time to help cut fruits and vegetables for the lunch program.
“I don’t think anyone is immune to food insecurity, especially right now,” Hahn said. “There are people who never expected to need this service, and that’s OK. It’s what we’re here for.”
The YMCA has a policy where no child is turned away at a feeding site, and if someone asks for help, regardless of age, the staff does what they can to help, but the biggest obstacle volunteers have had to overcome has been pride.
“It’s hard, and they’re embarrassed,” Hahn said. “But, they don’t need to be. A lot of people have lost jobs, and they weren’t expecting to lose their jobs. It’s tough, but we’re just a little bridge to get them over the hump.”
