The YMCA of Metropolitan Dallas is starting an effort in order to help those in the community who are serving on the front lines to fight COVID-19.
On Tuesday, the organization announced it has been given special approval by Dallas County Health and Human services to offer Emergency YMCA Child Care for children of those who serve as first responders, healthcare and hospital workers, government officials, grocery workers and others who must continue to work during this challenging time.
Emergency YMCA Child Care will be offered at 11 branches in Dallas, Collin, Ellis and Rockwall Counties from 7:30 a.m. - 5:30 p.m. daily for children ages 5-12 including:
- Collin County Adventure Camp (Anna)
- Coppell Family YMCA
- Grand Prairie Family YMCA
- JER Chilton YMCA at Rockwall
- McKinney Family YMCA
- Park South YMCA (South Dallas)
- Plano Family YMCA
- Richardson Family YMCA
- Semones Family YMCA (North Dallas)
- T. Boone Pickens YMCA (Downtown Dallas)
- Waxahachie Family YMCA
“The YMCA has always changed and adapted to meet the needs of the community. Although our physical locations are temporarily closed, the Y is still here to support and provide for our community in its time of need. As our first responders, health care workers and others still need to physically report to work each day, we want to ease their burden and childcare is one less thing they need to worry about during this time,” said Curt Hazelbaker, President and CEO, YMCA of Metropolitan Dallas.
Spots are limited to 50 attendees per day, per location. The camp will adhere to guidelines by city, county and state officials including limiting group sizes inside of the camp to no more than 10. Childcare will begin Monday, March 23, and will run each weekday until the end of April.
They are offering a rate of $45 per day per child for first responders, government officials, hospital, healthcare and grocery workers. Financial assistance is also available.
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To learn more and sign up, visit www.ymcadallas.org/EmergencyYMCAChildCare.
Additionally, needs are being met in different communities of the local YMCA.
The organization said it will be working with the American Red Cross to offer blood donor sites at certain locations.
A massive food distribution is also being held on Saturdays at the Park South YMCA in South Dallas, which serves in a neighborhood with lower income and food-insecure families.
Six-thousand pounds of produce and other groceries were given out to families in need this past weekend and YMCA leaders say the distributions will happen every Saturday until the end of the pandemic.
"We will continue to provide this type of support and more as long as this crisis continues and for as long as we have the capabilities and support of our community," the YMCA said in a statement.
