RANDOLPH TWP. – Mac and cheese and – avocado?
Turns out it was a popular item during the Randolph YMCA’s Healthy Kids Day held at the 14 Dover Chester Road facility on Saturday, April 29.
The event is the YMCA’s annual national initiative to encourage families to make healthy choices, especially for when their children are home from school on summer vacation. The Saturday event drew about 150 kids and parents, who visited first responders and their equipment, and participated in martial arts and gym activities, all for free.
They were also welcomed to try free snacks like granola bars, and collect healthy menus offered at a table manned by Kate-Lyn Snare and Lydia Lelah, registered dieticians at ShopRite’s supermarkets in Succasunna and Flanders respectively.
Among those menus was that one for the perpetual kids’ favorite but with a twist: the macaroni and cheese with avocado. “It’s been very popular,” said Snare. So, too, were the press-on “milk mustaches” they offered. “The boys in particular like them,” Lelah said.
Another popular place turned out to be the table touting the Y’s upcoming summer camp programs. While the program “fills up fast” early in the year, some spots were still available, especially when the program is discounted, said Y Youth Director Lynn Molitoris. Molitoris took advantage of a photo op to pitch the program, which runs. Compared with other camps throughout the area, she said, the Y camp “is a bargain,” and more inclusive.
Jamie Vitale was happy she had come. This was the first time Vitale had come, bringing with her two and a half-year-old daughter Avie. She said she got information on the event from ShopRite, so they checked it out. Vitale said she had come primarily to check out the healthy food choices. She particularly liked that mac and cheese with avocado recipe.
“That does sound good, doesn’t it?” she said.
Standing in the Y’s parking lot to welcome attendees, Kaitlyn Lamia, the YMCA’s communication director, said the event was more than just a way to get families engaged in healthy lifestyles. “It’s a great way to bring the community together in a healthy and positive way,” she said. “We look forward to hosting it every year.”
For more information about the Randolph YMCA, visit www.randolphymca.org. For information on the summer camp program, visit our website www.randolphymca.org
