River Crossing YMCA and GIANT Partner to Deliver 50,000 Gallons of Milk to Local Kids

ALLENTOWN, PA -- River Crossing YMCA and The GIANT Company marked a significant milestone in their association-wide partnership on April 23 at the Allentown Branch Child Care Center, 425 South 15th Street. Since the partnership launched in 2023, it has delivered more than 30,000 gallons of milk to children in YMCA camp and child care programs across Bucks, Lehigh and Northampton counties. This year will bring that total up to 50,000 gallons.

The celebration brought together GIANT team member volunteers, who read stories to children in their classrooms and distributed milk at lunchtime. Representatives from GIANT in attendance included Courtney Hopcraft, Manager of Community Relations and Strategic Partnerships; Kayla Tiley-Oxenrider, Community Relations and Charitable Giving Specialist; and Tim Santoro, Vice President of Operations - East Division.

“Supporting kids’ health is one of our areas of focus when it comes to charitable giving, so being here at the Y today connects very deeply,” shared Santoro. “Over the four years of our partnership with the Y so far, GIANT has donated upwards of 30,000 gallons of milk to young children, which is the equivalent of a swimming pool, or 3.8 million bowls of cereal.”

The partnership addresses a documented need. According to Feeding America, 18 percent of children in Lehigh County, 14 percent of children in Northampton County and nearly 10 percent of children in Bucks County are food insecure. Research consistently shows that children experiencing hunger have greater difficulty focusing, learning and problem solving in school and early learning settings.

“GIANT has been a phenomenal partner of ours for the last several years,” said Maggie Lester, VP of corporate partnerships for River Crossing YMCA. “Each year, we've grown together to combat childhood hunger and make sure that every child in our programs is fed, happy and ready to learn every single day.”

GIANT’S continued support will enable the Y to distribute nearly 50,000 total gallons of milk through its programs. The partnership provides free youth meals and expands nutrition access for hundreds of children throughout YMCA programs.