Malden YMCA Receives $10K Grant from Tufts Health Plan

The Malden YMCA – which serves Everett, Malden and Medford – has received a $10,000 grant from Tufts Health Plan to support the YMCA’s programs addressing hunger in our communities and promoting healthy living for children and adults of all ages. Tufts Health Plan has had a long-standing relationship with the Malden YMCA.

“Tufts Health Plan and the Malden YMCA have collaborated for years through our shared mission to serve our communities and shared commitment to create opportunities for healthy living for neighbors of all ages,” says Malden YMCA CEO, Debbie Amaral.

“We are grateful for this very generous support from Tufts Health Plan which will help us make our programs available to more even more individuals and families.”

The grant will support a wide variety of programs and events for youth, families, and seniors and will particularly help the Y address hunger in Everett, Malden, and Medford. This includes the YMCA’s newest initiative, the “Rover” Food Truck. With support from Tufts Health Plan, Rover is serving free meals to youth in local communities Monday through Friday, all summer long. Starting in the fall, Rover will help deliver free groceries to the YMCA’s food pantries and community centers and enable the organization to host more “Pop Up Markets” and other events to distribute free groceries and household items.

Later this summer, Tufts Health Plan and the Malden YMCA will team up for the YMCA’s annual Back-to-School event for families. Tufts Health Plan will donate 500 backpacks to the YMCA youth from its extensive summer camp, childcare, and afterschool programs in Everett, Malden and Medford.

“Our involvement with the Malden YMCA is a true collaboration of like-minded organizations with common goals, all with a mission of improving the health and wellness of our diverse communities,” said Juan Lopera, vice president of marketing for public plans at Tufts Health Plan. “Helping to address hunger and access to nutritious meals in Malden, Everett and Medford is critical to the health of their residents. We are proud to support the YMCA and look forward to broadening our relationship over the next year.”

About the Malden YMCA

For over 140 years, the Malden YMCA has supported the foundations of community through youth development, healthy living and social responsibility. From its facility in downtown Malden as well as community outreach sites in Malden, Everett and Medford, the Y serves over 10,000 individuals each year. The Y is committed to nurturing the potential of every child and teen by cultivating the values, skills and relationships that lead to positive behaviors, better health and educational achievement. The Y’s programs enable children and teen the opportunity to discover who they are and what they can achieve. To learn more visit www.ymcamalden.org and connect with the Y on Facebook: @YMCAMalden.

About Tufts Health Plan

Celebrating our 40^th anniversary in 2019, Tufts Health Plan is nationally recognized for its commitment to providing innovative, high-quality health care coverage. Staying true to our mission of improving the health and wellness of the diverse communities we serve, we touch the lives of more than 1.16 million members in Massachusetts, Rhode Island, New Hampshire and Connecticut through employer-sponsored plans; Medicare; Medicaid and Marketplace plans, offering health insurance coverage across the life span regardless of age or circumstance. We are continually among the top health plans in the country based on quality and member satisfaction. Our Tufts Medicare Preferred HMO and Senior Care Options plans received a 5-star rating from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, the highest rating possible. (i) To learn more about how we’re redefining what a health plan can do, visit www.tuftshealthplan.com/whatwedo. Connect with Tufts on Facebook: @tuftshealthplan, Twitter: @TuftsHealthPlan, Instagram: @tuftshealthplan, and on YouTube.