PEABODY — A popular Beach Boys lyric pretty much sums it all up for YMCA of the North Shore’s summer campers: “We’ve been having fun all summer long.” Well that fun isn’t about to end any time soon.
Campers at the Peabody, Saugus and Melrose branches have already been the beneficiaries of a new lunch and breakfast program since mid-July. Now, thanks to Metro North’s recent decision to extend all camp programs through Sept. 11, campers will now be able to enjoy two bonus weeks before they have to say goodbye to the summer.
Metro North CEO Kathleen Walsh said Metro North already had a food program in place at the Lynn branch. A statement on Metro North’s website stated that the food program expansion was developed in partnership with the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education and its Summer Eats program, which has been providing food assistance to low-income families since 1968. The association also received funding from the $6.1 million Massachusetts COVID-19 Relief Fund through the Essex County Community Foundation. Walsh said Metro North currently is feeding about 500 kids a day.
“It’s much appreciated because these campers come with no lunch or little lunch and we are now able to provide them with a nice balanced meal, which is fabulous,” Walsh said. “I can’t predict what will happen with COVID-19 in the near future, but I do know that the need for food programs will not change anytime soon. Even if the economy does hit phase four, food insecurity was on the rise before the pandemic. More partnership and funding for this program will be crucial in the long road ahead to a ‘new normal.’ Kids are going to need this safety net more than ever, especially with school openings postponed.”
Saugus Family YMCA Executive Director Jen Conway said she has seen a spike in the number of people struggling to feed their families.
“We see the number of requests for food growing every day,” she said. “I’ve had parents tell me they are relying on Dollar Tree to feed their kids on a budget. Some of these parents are managing two or three jobs to make it all work and this way they can spend their funds on other necessities for the kids.”
Currently there are about 150 kids at Metro North’s Camp Eastman in Peabody and another 200 combined at Camp Melstone in Melrose and Camp Sachem in Saugus. All kids are eligible for the meal program and pre registration is not required. Walsh said the camps normally run through the end of August, shutting down just before the start of school.
“We’ll go right up to Sept, 11, but space will be limited based on how we can staff it,” said Walsh. “We anticipate probably not being able to take quite as many because some of our college kids are going back to school and things like that, but we hope to be able to take 100-120.”
Walsh said this summer’s programs have been the most successful she has ever experienced in her 15-year YMCA career.
“I was just down there and talking to the kids and they are having a blast,” said Walsh. “They are all complying with the safety procedures. They are enjoying being with their peers, they are having fun and being creative. I’ve been doing this for a long time and this year’s summer surveys have been, by far, more positive than I’ve ever seen. It’s been a great summer.”
Registration for the extended summer camp program is open. To register, go to Metro North’s website, https://www.ymcametronorth.org/summer-camp/.
Anne Marie Tobin can be reached at [email protected].
