During this time of uncertainty, food security and support for children remain at the forefront in many communities. Beginning in April 2020, the Fox Valley YMCA stepped in to begin serving dinners to families in their community. A $3,000 DeKalb County COVID-19 Response Grant supplied the YMCA with funding to purchase food for the Emergency Child Care program.

The YCMA continues to serve an average of 260 meals per day, five days a week at their two locations. Weekly they distribute approximately 1,300 meals and are offering emergency day care to 46 children. The emergency day care creates a safe place for children of essential workers to go and play.

In addition to food and childcare services, the YMCA has allowed the homeless population a place to shower and continue to provide wellness checks to local seniors.

Ongoing needs for the Fox Valley YMCA include support for their child care services and family dinner distributions. In the summer they will begin to offer lunches to families and plan to continue as a heating and cooling center that also offers showers to those in need.

The mission of the Fox Valley Family YMCA is to strengthen the foundation of their community by ensuring that participants have the opportunity to learn, grow, and thrive. They are dedicated to building healthy, confident, connected, and secure children, adults, families, and communities.

Pictured above: Representatives of the Fox Valley YMCA distribute dinners to families in their community.

Thank you to the many donors whose gifts make grants like these possible! And thank you to the Illinois COVID-19 Response Fund for the multiple grants that boosted the amount we were able to give in response to local needs. 

Funding for this grant program is made possible by the DeKalb County COVID-19 Response Fund, a new component pass through Fund created in collaboration with various local funding partners. The Fund’s purpose is to be a depository for contributions intended to respond to the effects of COVID-19 in DeKalb County by distributing grants that address preparedness, response, recovery, and/or rebuilding efforts.