YMCA's locations across New Jersey are now open for business, including in East Rutherford, where a wellness center has reopened.

 

The YMCA never actually closed down at all this year, but what it did do was continuously change what it offered and act as a community resource.

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"We are a resource for what the community has always wanted us to be and now they're seeing us in that light," says David Kisselback, president and CEO of the Meadowlands YMCA.

As New Jersey navigates through the pandemic, so have Kisselback and his staff. They've gone from providing emergent child care services for essential workers, to a preschool and a day camp, a community pool, fitness classes, and a wellness center that is more than just a regular gym.

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“We run programs for people with diabetes, with cancer and we have a lot of personal training,” says Kisselback. “Those are people who come in not just to better themselves physically, but mentally and because the doctor said to them you need to do this.”

Megan White is a volunteer with the YMCA. She's filling boxes with food and for almost 30 weeks now, they've collected food and given it out to community members in need.

“We actually get to serve them,” says White. “What the Meadowlands Y is all about is giving back to our community."

The past months have been filled with uncertainty, and like other businesses, the YMCA has lost a ton of money, but it hasn’t lost serving its community.