September always announces its arrival with crisp change in the morning air. Busses winding down back roads. School playgrounds swollen with laughter. But September is also Hunger Action Month, a national effort to inspire action and education around hunger in the United States. In America, 100% of counties are home to residents who don’t have reliable access to food. Hunger is everywhere. And so is action. At the Y we’re humbled by our partnerships with Twin Villages Foodbank Farm and Veggies to Table—two local organizations that fill our front lobby table each week with healthy, locally-grown produce. For three seasons each year, freshly-harvested fruits and vegetables are made available to anyone in the community. Access to the Y’s food table isn’t a member privilege; it’s a right for all community members.  

The Y is no stranger to feeding community. “Fill the Bus” campaigns have occurred at Thanksgiving to help ensure kids and families don’t go hungry during this traditional time of bounty. During Covid, Y staff and volunteers worked in conjunction with the schools to distribute over 8,000 meals to children and families through an adaptive drive-through food pick-up program that ran six days each week. This summer, in partnership with Healthy Lincoln County, the Y served 2,795 free meals to children attending Camp Knickerbocker. We know hunger doesn’t discriminate, and neither does the Y. Access to nutritious food is an integral part of helping people of all ages thrive. 

In a quiet corner of the Y is the Grab-and-Go refrigerator that’s stocked year-round with items like fresh fruit, cheese sticks, and granola bars. The free, healthy resource of readily-accessible snacks is a hunger prevention strategy made possible by the generous philanthropy of the Borsage Family Foundation and Maine’s community-oriented First National Bank. “The cheese sticks are a big hit,” said Allyson Goodwin, director of development, “and the easy access to healthy food allows us to provide another pathway to wellness for the community.” Whether it’s a middle school student arriving at the Y for an after-school program, a younger child rehearsing a Y-ARTS performance, a community member coming to the Y for free WiFi, or an adult pickleball player fresh off the courts, everyone has access to a healthy snack to help fuel the body, mind, and spirit.  

During the month of September, and all the months to follow, every action we take as individuals―whether large or small―can bring us closer to living in a community where no one goes hungry. Right now, hunger is closer that we think, but individual and collective action can help end the devastation of hunger within our every tomorrow.