Fueling Change: The Y's Comprehensive Approach to Nutrition

At the Y, we take a holistic approach to nutrition by offering programs that educate, celebrate cultures, improve food access, and help people of all ages build healthy habits. Our nutrition education and food programs help people of all ages live healthier lives and strengthen the community by improving access to nutrition and healthy food. 

Our Nutrition Program, led by a registered dietitian, offers consultations and educational programs that help individuals and families learn new skills, incorporate healthy eating and exercise into their daily lives, and develop healthy relationships with food. 

We offer many community engagement programs - from youth cooking classes to family dinner nights - and partnerships with local schools and organizations to help people build healthy habits and gain cultural awareness and self-confidence in the kitchen. 

Our Food Program provides hunger relief and nutrition to local youth, families, and communities.  We fight food insecurity in the MetroWest by:

• Providing healthy meals to youth ages 18 and under in our Framingham-based summer camps and at our Framingham Branch on weekdays between 3-5 PM. During the summer, we, in collaboration with Project Bread, Discovering Hidden Gems, and A Place to Turn, operate 20 lunchtime sites throughout the MetroWest where kids aged 18 and under can eat for free. 
• Delivering healthy meals to local partner organizations throughout the year with two mobile units. 
• Working year-round with partners in food rescue, like ‘Spoonfuls, Fair Foods, and Boston Gleaners to offer grocery distribution at our Framingham Branch. 

Additionally, our Food Program offers workforce training opportunities to teens in our leadership development and workforce training program, Changemaker Academy. 

Most recently, we began offering catering services to organizations as a way to both expand our healthy eating ethos and fund our Food Program. 100% of the proceeds from our catering services will go back into our hunger relief efforts.

You can support our efforts to combat food insecurity and our work with teens through direct donations to our Annual Campaign or patronage of our classes, events, and catering services. Your thoughtful consideration will go a long way toward increasing the well-being of our neighbors throughout the MetroWest region.