Community Corner

YMCA's Offer Healthier Snacks With New Vending Machines

The Brandon Family YMCA, along with others YMCA's in the Tampa Bay area, are offering healthier snacks with newly installed vending machines from HUMAN, which stands for, "Helping Unite Mankind and Nutrition."

Greater Brandon area YMCA members, including at the Brandon Family YMCA on Kingsway Road, now have more nutritious options when it comes to refreshments.

Vending machines at Tampa-area YMCA locations were recently replaced with HUMAN (Helping Unite Mankind and Nutrition) vending machines that are said to offer the healthiest options when it comes to snacks and beverges.

The white- and green-machines help promote a “5-2-1-almost none philosophy,” according to Kathy Rabon, vice president of development and communications for the Tampa-area YMCA organization.

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The philosophy calls for children and families to, each day, eat five servings of fruits or vegetables, spend less than two hours of time in front of the TV, get one hour of exercise and have almost no sugary beverages.

“All soda and non-healthy snack vending machines have been removed from all branches and all meetings feature only healthy snacks or meals,” Rabon said of the change. “Juice is limited and installed only in machines near the wellness floor for the purpose of assisting diabetics.

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“The machines also provide information on food content as well,” Rabon added.

Gone are options such as sugary sports drinks, now replaced with Muscle Milk Light (100 calories) and snacks such as Pirate's Booty baked rice and corn puffs.

According to healthyvending.com, HUMAN was founded in 2008 and has machines in 40 states, plus Canada and Puerto Rico. Ten percent of profits are donated to organizations that fight obesity.

Do you like the new HUMAN vending machines? Tell us in the comments section below.


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