Greater Scranton YMCA Receives $4,000 BK5K Youth Fund Grant to Support Year-Round Food Program

The Greater Scranton YMCA has been awarded a $4,000 grant from BK5K Fund of the Winona Community Foundation to support its Year-Round Food Program, which provides daily meals and snacks to children enrolled in the Y’s Early Learning Centers, Before and After School Program, and Summer Scholars at no additional cost to families.

The BK5K Youth Fund of the Winona Community Foundation, organized in connection with the annual BK5K Road Race honoring Bob Kierlin, founder of Fastenal Company, distributes proceeds to youthserving organizations that have demonstrated a commitment to positive youth development.

Grant funds will be applied directly to the cost of food. The Greater Scranton YMCA’s Year-Round Food Program serves 352 children each year across its Dunmore and Olyphant Early Learning Centers, YPALS preschool, Before and After School Care, and Summer Scholars program. Meals are prepared onsite daily and follow nutritional guidelines established through the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP), a federally funded initiative that sets and monitors meal pattern standards to ensure children receive nutritious, age-appropriate food.

“At the Y, we believe every child deserves access to a nutritious meal, no matter their family’s circumstances,” said Rich Surridge, President and CEO of the Greater Scranton YMCA. “Support from our community, like the generous grant awarded by the BK5K Fund of the Winona Community Foundation is instrumental in allowing us to continue to run the Food Program and serve the children in our care.”

The Greater Scranton YMCA has operated the Year-Round Food Program since 2019. Enrollment in the Y’s early childhood education programs has grown significantly in that time, including the 2024 opening of the Olyphant Early Learning Center and the 2025 addition of three new classrooms at the Dunmore Early Learning Center. That growth has increased demand on the food program and, alongside rising food costs, created a persistent gap between program expenses and secured revenue.

For more information about the Greater Scranton YMCA’s Year-Round Food Program or early childhood
education programs, contact Tressa Capoccia, Senior Director of Education, at tcapoccia@gsymca.org
or 570-795-4563