GREENVILLE, S.C. – YMCA of Greenville unveiled today their newest program, Y on the Fly. The mobile mission unit, a Dodge Ram ProMaster cargo van, enables YMCA staff and volunteers to deliver a “Y without walls” outreach experience in Greenville County by delivering food and services to children, families and seniors in the community.
Y on the Fly will serve Greenville’s most vulnerable neighbors with hunger relief, along with providing educational enrichment, wellness classes, physical activities for children, games and more. This new component allows the YMCA of Greenville to service from Travelers Rest to the Judson community, Greenville to Taylors and to Simpsonville.
In May of 2020, the YMCA of Greenville mobilized to help relieve food insecurity for those in the community whose lives had been impacted by COVID-19 due to job loss, lack of affordable childcare, or inability to pay for food. With the branches closed during lockdown, YMCA staff and volunteers utilized YMCA buses for the food deliveries. With the buses back in use for afterschool and summer day camp, the need for a new way to transport bags of food to the community became strongly apparent.
More than 10,500 bags of food with more than 200,000 meals inside have been served over the past 12 months to more than 200 families a week. Additionally, the food program serves veterans from the VA Outpatient Clinic in Greenville, residents of Gateway House and partners with Greenville County schools to provide weekend “backpack” food bags for hundreds of elementary, middle and high school students.
The new cargo van, lined with shelving to hold food bags and wrapped with the Y branded design identifying themselves to the families they serve, is now an essential part to the food program and will allow the YMCA of Greenville to expand the program and double the number of families served.
“The Y of the Fly van allows us to expand our food program and widen our radius even further. It is going to make a huge, positive impact on our neighbors in need,” says Diana Watson, chief philanthropy officer, YMCA of Greenville. “We can’t wait to get this van on the road to serve our community.”
Y on the Fly was funded by grants provided by the YMCA of Greenville Foundation, Fall for Greenville and Holiday Sunshine Fund. The food program itself is funded by the YMCA’s Annual Campaign.
To learn more about the YMCA of Greenville and the projects, programs and services it supports, visit https://www.ymcagreenville.org/.
The YMCA of Greenville is a cause-driven non-profit organization. Our mission is, following the example of Christ, to build a healthy spirit, mind, and body for all. With a focus on youth development, healthy living and social responsibility, the Y nurtures the potential of every youth and teen, improves the health and well-being of our community and provides opportunities to give back and help support our neighbors. Founded in 1876, the Y serves more than 70,000 people annually through programs that include afterschool care, resident and day camps, aquatics, youth and adult sports, and health and wellness. Programs are offered though four family branches, as well as the Verdae YMCA, Y Camp Greenville, YMCA Judson Community Center, the YMCA Program Center and Hollingsworth Outdoor Center. The Y is also home to Y Teen Services and the SC Youth in Government programs.
For more information about the YMCA of Greenville, visit ymcagreenville.org, or call (864) 412-0288.
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