Committed to ensuring working families in Tampa Bay have access to childcare, the Tampa Metropolitan Area YMCA is pleased to announce a $50,000 gift from United Way Suncoast.
The emergency funds are part of a more than $1.2 million of COVID-19 emergency assistance from the United Way Suncoast’s COVID-19 Response and Recovery Fund being distributed to human services agencies across the Florida Suncoast to support housing/shelter, food, childcare, financial stability and mental health services.
“Schools play such a vital role in keeping kids safe, engaged and nourished. While school’s out, there is a huge gap in the community to provide those services,” stated Tampa YMCA President and CEO Matt Mitchell. “Thanks to the generous support of United Way Suncoast, the Y can provide a safe and nurturing environment for the children of first responders, healthcare professionals and other essential workers who play important roles keeping us safe and healthy. This generous gift helps the Y serve these critical needs at a very nominal fee for these individuals who are risking a lot. We want to make sure, at least in this part of their life, they can have some normalcy and not have any worry. At this crucial moment, when our communities need us more than ever, we appreciate the continued support of community partners, like United Way Suncoast.”
The Tampa YMCA is using the funds to offer all-day youth relief care at 11 centers for families who must continue to work during the COVID-19 crisis while their kids are out of school. The Y’s youth relief care provides academic support and structure to help children maintain their learning while also enjoying enriching activities.
“It is our job to raise funds, awareness of need and mobilize volunteers for the critical services needed during this crisis. United Way Suncoast is proud to partner with Tampa YMCA. This funding is being put to work to support working families in our community,” said Jessica Muroff, CEO of United Way Suncoast.
“United Way Suncoast, our donors and volunteers are working hard to serve our community at a time of greatest need. Our region’s business community and many generous individuals have contributed to our COVID-19 Response and Recovery Fund to ensure that we have the immediate resources to support the most vulnerable in our community,” said Muroff.
For more information, visit www.unitedwaysuncoast.org. To learn more about the YMCA, visit www.tampaymca.org.
