Gatemen donate $10,000 to hunger relief at the YMCA
The Wareham Gatemen and the John Wylde Trust donated $10,000 to the Gleason Family YMCA’s Full Plates Community Market program on March 26.
Debbie Fringuelli, the senior executive director of the YMCA, said that the donation will help keep the program going and expand the offerings.
The Community Market distributes boxes full of fruit, vegetables, meat, dairy, and non-perishable foods to anyone who needs it.
“The need is there,” Fringuelli said, noting that cars fill the parking lot ahead of every distribution event.
Tom Gay, the president of the Wareham Gatemen, said that as soon as he and the leaders of th John Wylde Trust heard about the YMCA’s food distribution programs, they knew they wanted to help out.
“The community supports us,” Gay said, and the Gatemen want to support the community in return.
The Gatemen and the YMCA have worked together for years, as players use the facility to work out and relax, playing basketball with their teammates and local kids.
“The Y always opens their doors wide,” said Sheri Gay.
The Community Market is held every other Friday from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., although it is first come, first serve, and food usually goes fast. No registration or photo ID is required, and volunteers will ask only for the recipient’s zip code and the number of people in the recipient’s household.
The Market will next be held on April 9 at the YMCA’s 33 Charge Pond Road location.
The Gatemen are planning for a summer season of baseball, with the first home game scheduled for June 13.
Sheri Gay explained that the organization is looking for host families who would be willing to take in a college baseball player for the season, which runs from roughly mid-June to mid-August. Host families receive a stipend in exchange for providing bed and breakfast to the athlete.
The team is working to develop extensive safety protocols, including regular covid testing, and hopes to have all players vaccinated if possible.
For more information about the Gatemen and the host family program, go to www.gatemen.org.
