YMCA OF CENTRE COUNTY

YMCA Members:

We hope that you and your family are safe and well. As we all brave unfamiliar territory, your support as a member during this time is critical, as the services the Y provides to kids and families are needed now more than ever. Although our facilities are currently closed to the public, we continue to serve our community by providing:

• Drive-Through Food Distribution: When schools were mandated to close, many children lost access to healthy meals provided through their school’s free and reduced lunch program. As other businesses were required to close, additional families began to face food insecurity. Within a few days, we gathered resources to start distributing food at drive-through sites throughout Centre County. We’re currently providing food for over 1,000 kids at 24 sites per day.
• Child Care for Essential Employees: We’re providing child care services for essential employees so they can continue to address public health and essential needs. We will continue to expand these services if needs increase.
• Virtual Health and Wellness Resources: We know that exercise is an important part of our members’ daily lives, and we want to continue to be a resource for you to maintain your health and well-being until we can welcome you back into our facilities again. Some of our wellness staff have recorded fitness classes so you can exercise at home with your favorite Y instructors. To access online classes, click here.

The work we’re doing right now is a critical part of our community’s journey back to normalcy; however, we can’t do it alone…we need your support. Many members have chosen to support us by keeping their membership active or donating to the cause, which has fueled our initial response to our community’s needs during this time.

We urge you to join this community effort by keeping your Y membership active to ensure that we have enough resources to deliver these essential services. If you would like to offer additional support, donations are being accepted at our branches during the day (call ahead to confirm hours) or by mail. You can also give online and access a list of food items needed by clicking here.

Thank you for playing such a vital role in our efforts to strengthen our community, particularly during this time. Please continue to follow all suggested measures to keep yourselves safe and healthy. We look forward to seeing you soon.

We know that exercise is an important part of our members’ daily lives. While we wish our facilities could be open right now to support your fitness needs, we want to continue to be a resource for you as you seek to maintain your health and well-being until we can welcome you back into our facilities again. Some of our wellness staff have spent time recording fitness classes so you can continue to workout from home with your favorite Y instructors.

Subscribe to our YouTube channel to watch more at home workout videos.

Participate in LIVE Fitness Classes through Zoom: 

• Boot Camp w/ Josh
  • Monday, Wednesday & Friday @ 6:30am (Link)
  • Tuesday &  Thursday @ 12:00pm (Link)
• Indoor Cycling w/ Josh
  • Wednesday & Friday @ 12:00pm (Link)
• Gentle Yoga w/ Lori
  • Wednesdays @ 12pm (Link)
• *Gentle Pilates w/Elizabeth
  • Mondays & Fridays @ 11:00am (Link)
• *Active Adult Total Fitness w/ Josh
  • Monday, Wednesday, Friday @ 9:00am (Link)

* = FOR SENIORS

Click on the links above to participate in these LIVE fitness classes. Need help using Zoom? Click here for details: Zoom instructions.

Questions? Contact Josh at [email protected].

Disclaimer: 

Physical exercise, in all of its forms and with or without the use of equipment such as blocks, straps or any other equipment that may be used by an instructor of The Young Men’s Christian Association of Centre County (together with its assignees and sublicensees, the “YMCA”), is a strenuous physical activity. Accordingly, you are urged and advised to seek the advice of a physician before beginning any physical exercise regimen, routine, program, or using any suggested equipment shown in any of the videos from the YMCA. The YMCA is not a medical organization and its instructors or staff cannot give you medical advice or diagnosis. All suggestions and comments relating to the use of equipment, poses, moves and instruction are not required to be performed by you and are carried out at your election while viewing YMCA videos. Nothing contained herein should be constructed as any form of such medical advice or diagnosis. 

By using this content you represent that you understand that physical exercise involves strenuous physical movement, and that such activity carries the risk of injury whether physical or mental. You understand that it is your responsibility to judge your physical and mental capabilities for such activities. It is your responsibility to ensure that by participating in classes and activities from the YMCA, you will not exceed your limits while performing such activity, and you will select the appropriate level of classes for your skills and abilities, as well as for any mental or physical conditions and/or limitations you have. You understand that, from time to time, instructors may suggest physical adjustments or the use of equipment, and it is your sole responsibility to determine if any such suggested adjustment or equipment is appropriate for your level of ability and physical and mental condition. You expressly waive and release any claim that you may have at any time for injury of any kind arising out of your participation in a YMCA program or use of a YMCA facility against the YMCA, or any person or entity involved with the YMCA, including without limitation, its directors, principals, instructors, independent contractors, employees, agents, contractors, affiliates and representatives. 

The article below was written by a YMCA of the USA representative in response to questions from White House officials regarding efforts being made by local YMCAs to aid community members during the Coronavirus outbreak. We’re pleased to have been one of the two associations that they chose to spotlight. Read the full post here. You can help us with these efforts by donating or volunteering. Learn more by clicking here. 

Mel Curtis, Moshannon Valley Branch Director at the YMCA of Centre County, began mobilizing his mobile meal program last week when he realized the schools would be potentially closing. He reached out to community partners to organize mobile meal delivery sites for children and grocery drops for families. Before Coronavirus struck, Mel was organizing over 700 weekend backpacks to distribute to kids throughout State College, PA in addition to offering weekly meals afterschool and during the summer.

Now, Mel has collaborated tirelessly to ensure children still have access to food during school closures with his buses delivering meals this week. Mel shares that parents are ecstatic to have help with groceries and have been very appreciative as the Y hands out food. As closures started happening across the county, a single mother called Mel at the Y because she did not know where to turn. She panicked. With schools closed and grocery stores sold out, she did not have what she needed to care for her 7-year-old son with Autism. The Y was able to get hygiene products and groceries she desperately needed.

Mel also shared that the outpouring of support is unbelievable. Coca Cola sent skids of water to the Y as a donation. A trucking company called from Minnesota and said they had a truck in PA that had a refused delivery, would the Y be interested? The company donated 8 skids of snacks that were going to be delivered to a high school that closed. Clubs are making sandwiches. A volunteer paid an apple farmer $500 to donate a truckload of apples and the farmer is adding more! A school administrative assistant is volunteering her time to help the Y coordinate the excess of SFSP paperwork to get more sites added in the community (18 more sites requested for approval tonight).

Community volunteers are helping secure food donations and making calls to help supply the bags of groceries being distributed to families along with children’s meals.

Mel says the Y of Centre County is hosting a food drop on Friday with Representative Glen Thompson at Bellefonte Court House and at the State College Walmart parking lot on Saturday.

These food drops are in addition to the Y’s Travelin’ Table mobile meal and grocery distribution. Volunteers packed over a thousand bags on Monday alone.

It’s important to us to ensure that no one in our community goes hungry during these unprecedented times. Learn more about our food distribution efforts and support the cause today!

Make a Donation (Food or Monetary): 

• Online: https://www.ymcaofcentrecounty.org/support/donate/anti-hunger-programs/
• Mail: YMCA of Centre County Development Office, 677 W Whitehall Road, State College, PA 16801.
• In-Person: Our four facilities will able to accept donations in-person during the day. Doors will likely be locked, but someone will be at the front desk to let you in.

Food Items Needed: 

• Canned soups – tomato or chicken noodle
• Mac & Cheese family boxes
• Pasta: spaghetti or rigatoni
• Cans of spaghetti sauce or plastic jars
• Loaves of bread
• Nutrigrain Bars
• Oatmeal
• Jelly in a plastic bottle
• Bottled water
• Apples
• Oranges
• Quarts of milk

Items can be dropped off at our Bellefonte, Moshannon Valley, and State College branches between the hours of 8:00 AM and 4:00 PM Monday through Friday. Items can also be dropped off at the Penns Valley branch, but please email [email protected] in advance to schedule a drop-off time.

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Bagged Food Sites (drive-through style) as of 3/24/20:

Each site is open from 12:00 PM to 1:00 PM Monday through Friday for children ages 0-18. Children no longer need to be in the car with you to receive a bag of food and larger bags of food for families may be available at some high traffic sites.

• Philipsburg-Osceola School District
  • Moshannon Valley YMCA
  • Hope Fire Company Front St.
  • P.O. Middle School
  • Osceola Mills Elementary School
  • Calvary United Methodist Church in West Decatur
  • Columbia Fire Company Osceola Mills (on side street)

• Moshannon Valley School District
  • The Wreck Center in Houtzdale
  • Madera Fire Company
  • Ramey Fire Company

• West Branch Area School District
  • Morris Township Fire Company
  • West Branch School
  • Grassflat Fire Company
  • Winburne Fire Company

• Bald Eagle School District
  • Pine Glen Fire Company in Karthaus
  • Snow Shoe EMS Building
  • Wingate Eementary School
  • Citizen’s Fire Company in Milesburg

• Bellefonte Area School District
  • Bellefonte YMCA
  • Logan Fire Company
  • Beaver Farms Complex
  • Pleasant Gap Fire Company
  • Continental Courts

• Penns Valley Area School District
  • Centre Hall Fire Company
  • Miles Township Fire Company
  • Millheim Fire Company

• State College Area School District
  • State College YMCA
  • Schlow Library (opening 3/30/2020)

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Soup Drive-Through Sites for Seniors and Veterans (Mondays): 

• Bald Eagle Valley Community United Methodist Church
  • Every Monday (beginning April 6) from 12:00 PM to 1:00 PM

• Trinity United Methodist Church
  • Every Monday (beginning March 30) from 12:00 PM to 1:00 PM

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Volunteer Information: 

If you would like to volunteer at any of our sites or warehouse, please email: antihungervolu[email protected] In your message, please include the following information: Name, phone #, email address, the school district area that you are willing to volunteer in, and what type of volunteer work you are willing to do (transport food to sites, volunteer at sites, volunteer for packing, or volunteer to pick-up donation). We have received a tremendous response from our community, and we want to make sure we are responding to everyone. For safety reasons, we will only be working in small groups.

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It’s important to us to ensure that no one in our community goes hungry during these uncertain times. If you or another family in your community are struggling to put food on the table or if you are willing to provide support of any kind, please contact Mel Curtis at (814) 342-0889 or [email protected] as soon as possible.

We’ll continue to provide updates regarding our Anti-Hunger initiatives as they become available. Thank you in advance for your support.

We know many parents in our community are still required to report to work during mandated school closures, making it difficult to ensure their children are cared for during the day. We feel strongly that this is a need the Y is positioned to address, and we will begin offering child care programs for essential employees at our Bellefonte and Moshannon Valley branches beginning Monday, March 30. We will offer care at additional branches if we determine there is a great enough need.