Full Plate Project

About Opportunity:
Opportunities for engagement include packing bags of fresh and frozen foods, as well as dry goods, on Monday and Thursday mornings, and then distributing the food at drive-thru markets on Tuesday afternoons in Dartmouth (the 2nd and 4th of each month) as well as the 3rd Tuesday morning each month in nearby New Bedford.

Organization Description:
Rising to meet the needs of our community for over 160 years, YMCA Southcoast’s work in Youth Development, Healthy Living and Social Responsibility strives to ensure that everyone has the opportunity to thrive.

According to a study by the Greater Boston Food Bank (GBFB) and Mass General Brigham, food insecurity remained high in Massachusetts in 2023 with approximately 1.9 million adults, or 34% of the state’s population, reporting that their households did not always have enough to eat. Building on our existing programs, YMCA Southcoast partnered with GBFB in 2020 to launch the Full Plate Project at five participating Y branches (Dartmouth, Fall River, New Bedford, Swansea, and Wareham) to address the growing lack of access to healthy, affordable food during economic struggles. Since its inception, the Full Plate Project has provided more than 5,500,000 lbs. of food or 4,583,333 meal equivalents.

Transportation:
Additional shifts are available - provide your own transportation. Sign up for additional shifts on a weekly basis here: https://www.signupgenius.com/index.cfm?go=c.SignUpSearch&eid=00C5C1DFF9CDF86D&cs=09C3BADA8FCC8B137B0664735BCE9BBA&sortby=l.title 

Contact:
Lisa Rahn, lrahn@ymcasc.org
https://ymcasouthcoast.org/schedules/health-fitness/full-plate-project/