Food Drive and Drop
At the Andover/North Andover Y is discontinued until Spring.

Thank you to all who have donated at our Wednesday food drives over the past few months. We are so grateful for your generosity! We will not be collecting food in this manner over the winter, but we will be back in the spring. In the meantime, the need for food continues.

You can continue to drop off donations at the following locations:

• The Andover/North Andover Welcome Center any day or time during normal business hours
• The Lawrence YMCA branch where the food pantry is located: 40 Lawrence Street in Lawrence, MA
• MVYMCA Administrative Offices at the Riverwalk Properties: 360 Merrimack St, Entrance K, 2nd Floor Lawrence, MA

Below is a list of items needed.

Proud Partner of the

FOOD ITEMS:
Cereal (High need item)*
Canned Fruit and Vegetables (High need item)*
Peanut Butter (High need item)*
Black Beans (High need item)*
Spaghetti Sauce
Pasta
Spaghetti O’s
Oatmeal
Coffee/Tea
Canned Chicken
Tuna
Fruit cups
Granola bars
Chicken Noodle Soup (No tomato or cream of… )
Beans
Boxed meals
Ramen Noodles
100% juice

PERSONAL CARE ITEMS:
Diapers (all sizes)
Shampoo/ conditioner
Deodorant
Toothpaste
Soap
Toothbrushes
Baby wipes
Feminine care products

Or please consider making a monetary contribution.

Organize a Pop the Trunk Food Drive

Another great way to help our MVYMCA Food Programs is to host a Pop the Trunk Food Drive in your neighborhood.

• Choose a day and time that works for you
• The Y will provide you with a flyer that you can pass out to friends and neighbors
• Ask neighbors to bring food and pop their trunks
• YMCA volunteers can help you collect food or you can do it yourself
• All food collection can be done safely by wearing masks, gloves and
  ensuring social distancing
• Drop your donations at the Lawrence Y or volunteers can come pick them up

For more information on how you can organize a food drive for your neighbors, contact Cathy Redard at credard@mvymca.org.

Grab and Go Meals Offered

We will be distributing “Grab and Go” suppers from the Lawrence YMCA to continue to feed our youth and teens who came to the Lawrence Y for evening meals. These will be available Monday through Friday from 3:00 to 5:00 pm and with an additional meal available on Friday for the weekend.

Food Pantry Hours

The Food Pantry is open Thursdays from 4:00 to 6:00pm.

About the Merrimack Valley YMCA Food Program

In the city of Lawrence, 84% of students are eligible for free or reduced lunch – meaning more than three quarters of our students and their families face food insecurity. While these students are provided food during the school day, for many this is their only source of nutrition and once they leave school, they have limited access to healthy food choices. At the YMCA, we aim to fill this gap and increase access to healthy foods while the children are not in school.

Food Pantry: Through a partnership with the Merrimack Valley Food Bank, we purchase food at low cost from Food Bank, supplemented with donations, in order to provide bags of food to children and their families on weekends. Families are invited to choose the food that they prefer from the healthy options that are available. The Food Pantry is open Thursdays from 4:00-6:00pm.

Meals for Teens: Each weeknight, dinner is offered to teens in our YMCA programs. The daily suppers provide teens with time for fellowship as teens sit together, without phones, to eat and connect. By end of last school year, we served 70+ teens daily, the number continues to rise.

Your gift will provide increased access to healthy food choices to our kids and their families by allowing us to purchase more food and personal items and increase outreach and serve more families.  To make a financial contribution, please click here or mail to the Lawrence YMCA at 40 Lawrence Street. Thank you for your support.

To donate food or toiletries, please contact Cathy Redard at credard@mvymca.org or deliver to the Lawrence YMCA at 40 Lawrence Street.

On behalf of the children and adults we serve, thank you for your support of the Merrimack Valley YMCA.