DUNKIN’ AWARDS FOOD GRANT — Sycamore Youth Center Executive Director Bobbyjon Bauman, left, and Sycamore Program Manager Michelle Clum, center, received a $10,000 Dunkin’ Joy in Childhood Foundation food grant. Steubenville Dunkin’ official Renae Waltz was on hand to award the check to the center. The money will be used toward feeding the children in the center’s after-school classes and during its summer mobile food pantry. Sycamore provides more than 10,000 meals to children each year. -- Contributed

STEUBENVILLE — Bobbyjon Bauman says he is “running on Dunkin.'”

The president of the Ohio Valley Youth Network and executive director of the Sycamore Youth Center stated the nonprofit organizations definitely have something worth celebrating this week.

The youth network has received a $10,000 food grant through the Dunkin’ Joy in Childhood Foundation.

Bauman explained the foundation is continuing its fight against food insecurity. This food program grant will help the city’s children tremendously, Bauman commented. The money received will go toward supporting the center’s vital food programs, which serve hundreds of local children and their families throughout the year.

Bauman expressed his gratitude for the support, saying, “I am so thrilled that the Dunkin’ Joy in Childhood Foundation is investing in our local community to eradicate hunger among our area youth and children. This funding will go a long way toward meeting the needs that we have to run our year-round programs.”

The $10,000 grant will support several of OVYN’s critical food programs, including its after-school meal program, which provides 100 meals daily to students at the school from Monday through Friday.

The grant will help with the Sycamore Weekend Food Distribution Program, delivering 350 shelf-stable meals each Friday during the school year.

And it will help with the Sycamore Summer Mobile Food Pantry by offering 6,000 meals across six food desert sites in Steubenville and Wintersville throughout the summer months.

“The OVYN’s efforts are a lifeline for many families in the region, and this grant will allow them to continue providing essential meals to children in need,” Bauman said. “With the support of organizations like the Dunkin’ Joy in Childhood Foundation, OVYN is making a tangible impact in the fight against food insecurity.”

Since 2015, the foundation has granted more than $5.7 million to Feeding America and its affiliate food banks across the country. They support a range of programs aimed at alleviating hunger for children and families. The foundation also provides regional grants each year to address specific needs of food banks throughout America.

The grants are invitation-only, making the Ohio Valley Youth Network’s award particularly notable.

For information on the Ohio Valley Youth Network’s food programs or to learn how to support its mission, visit the Sycamore Youth Center, contact Bauman at (740) 409-2986 or visit sycamorecenter.com.