River Crossing YMCA Serves Up Fun, Friendship and Belonging to Active Older Adults

On Friday, February 7, seniors came together at the Easton branch for a special “Souper Bowl” lunch ahead of Sunday’s big game. Members of the Y’s Silver Sneakers program and Tuesday Lunch n’ Learns brought in crock pots filled with their own homemade soups to share with each other potluck-style in the Welcome Center. The event is just one example of how our Y serves as a focus of friendship and belonging for our community’s active older adults.

“I come Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays, but sometimes Saturdays too,” explained Barbara Batha. Barbara has been a member of the Easton branch since 2004, and is an active participant in YMCA Silver Sneakers program. “We have a group of four who play canasta every Tuesday morning, then we have lunch and go to art class at 1. We had a hand in creating the mural on the wall [the mural depicting rivers and bridges]. People just don’t want to leave. When class ends people hang out and have a cup of coffee.”

“It’s like a home away from home. I come four-five times per week. This is really a wonderful place for seniors,” shared Sophie Stametz, as she tasted a friend’s homemade tortilla soup. “Instead of sitting home alone on the couch doing nothing, it’s like you come here and you are no longer lonely. This is my social outlet. I can come here and cut up with my friends. This is a wonderful place to find friends so you don’t have to be alone.” Sophie comes to the Easton branch for exercise classes and the fitness center, as well as attending the weekly Lunch n’ Learns with the friends she’s made at the branch.

The Y provides two meals each week to the active adult members of the Easton branch. In 2024 River Crossing YMCA provided nearly 16,000 nutritious meals to adults in the Lehigh Valley. This is only possible because of the generosity of donors like our Cause members. Thank you for making the YMCA a place for sustenance, connection and belonging for so many!