SALISBURY — The Rowan-Cabarrus YMCA donated nearly 10,500 pounds of fresh food last year as YMCAs across the state sought to help with food insecurity.

North Carolina YMCAs provided nearly 2.5 million meals to children, adults and seniors in 2021 to fight food insecurity in the wake of COVID-19, a news release said. In addition, YMCAs donated more than 640,000 pounds of food, including more than 430,000 pounds of fresh, healthy produce.

Food grown at Share the Harvest Community Farm was among the hundreds of thousands of pounds donated across the state. The farm is located at the West Cabarrus Branch of the Rowan-Cabarrus YMCA. The YMCAs for the two counties merged on Jan. 1, 2020.

The Rowan-Cabarrus YMCA’s farm is a collaboration between McGill Baptist Church, Cooperative Christian Ministry, Concord First Assembly, Operation Breadbasket and Freedom Christian Worship Center.

YMCAs across the state made donations based on needs in their community. That included delivering food directly to communities, hosting distribution sites at YMCAs or giving to food relief organizations. YMCAs also served or delivered meals when schools were closed to in-person learning due to COVID-19.

“The Y continues to serve people across the state who are struggling to put food on the table as a result of the pandemic,” said Sherée Vodicka, CEO of the NC Alliance of YMCAs. “As a nonprofit, the Y is a critical community partner and resource; we have proudly worked alongside schools, city and county social service agencies, and other local organizations to meet the increased need in many different ways.”

Another example of donations included the J. Smith Young YMCA in Lexington, which served more than 40,000 meals throughout 2021 as a sponsor for the USDA Summer Food Service Program and the Child and Adult Care Food Program. It brought the YMCAs to housing authority neighborhoods that are not within walking distance through its Y on Wheels program.