Area residents donated a total of 1,350 pounds of food, as well as monetary donations, during a May 5 contactless food drive at the Mathews Family YMCA.

In partnership with the Hands Across Mathews, the event allowed the YMCA to provide services to meet the specific needs of the community during the COVOD-19 health crisis.

The YMCA parking lot was the staging area for arriving automobiles to pull up to the front of the building and have the masked and gloved Y board members remove the food from their vehicles. Volunteers were careful to practice social distancing during each drop-off.

“The turnout was amazing,” center executive Buzz Lambert said. “So many people and organizations were coming in to donate that I lost count of the number of cars after we reached 50.”

Lambert said he was proud to see so many local businesses, churches, clubs, social organizations come by to drop off food and monetary donations.

“During difficult times, the Y becomes what the community need...