Protecting Community Health

UPDATE: Branches will open on Friday, June 12th. Details regarding our opening will be available early next week. Please stay tuned. We thank you for your support and patience. 

Many of you have come forward to ask how you can help during this time. Stay With Us and continue to support the Y mission through these unprecedented times. The Y continues to serve our community during this crisis through our Essential Providers Childcare, acting as a Red Cross blood donation site, accepting food donations for area food pantries, and distributing workout kits and wellness checks for our senior members and members in need. We humbly ask you to make a direct donation if it is within your means. Simply click on the donate button below to make your gift securely online. Thank you, we greatly appreciate your support.

These are unprecedented, challenging times. The situation surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic is constantly evolving. Schools, businesses, and others are closing their doors temporarily in order to flatten the curve and combat the spread of COVID-19.

At the core of our Y’s mission is social responsibility. This means that everything we do must be for the benefit of our community at large. Since 1915, the Penobscot Bay YMCA has been providing life-changing services that our community has come to rely upon – community health promotion, childcare, summer camp, cancer survivorship programs, and more.  We provide a community hub to stave off social isolation and to create lasting human connections.

With the permission and oversight of local and state authorities, our Childcare Center will continue to operate.

We’re invested in our community, and we need you to continue investing in us. We need your support and financial partnership to help to steer our Y and community through this daunting challenge, and to maintain our facilities, pay our staff team, and maintain childcare. 

We look forward to opening up our doors again and are grateful for your understanding during this challenging time.   

If you should have any questions, please email the Y at info@penbayymca.org. 

Together, we will come out of this stronger. And when we emerge from this challenging moment, we look forward to welcoming you and your families back through our doors. 

Frequently Asked Questions

Who can I contact if I have questions?

During this time, if you have any additional questions, please email us at info@penbayymca.org or call the Penobscot Bay YMCA at 207.236.3375, Monday-Friday, between the hours of 8:00 AM – 5:00 PM.

I have questions about my membership, how can I contact the Y?

We ask our members to please Stay With Us and continue to support the Y mission. Please continue your membership as a sustaining partner in our mission and cause. If you are not able to retain your membership during this time, we understand and ask you to consider putting your membership on hold, without dues, instead of canceling. A hold on your membership signals to us that you are still with us, which matters to us as well. Our mission calls us to be there for you when we reopen, and we humbly and respectfully ask you to be there, too. We are asking members to please email us at info@penbayymca.org with any questions or requests you may have. We will do our best to respond back in a timely manner. Thank you.

Is the Y offering any online fitness options to members?

Yes, all Y members are encouraged to access our virtual workouts. Stay fit at home with free exercise videos and resources on Y360, MOSSA MOVE and Youtube. Be sure to visit the Pen Bay YMCA's new Youtube channel today! New workouts are uploaded daily!

What is Coronavirus?

According to the CDC, the novel coronavirus is part of a large family of viruses common in people and many different species of animals. The virus causes a respiratory illness, called COVID-19, and can spread from person to person. Symptoms may appear 2-14 days after exposure and include fever, cough, and shortness of breath.

How is the Virus Spread?

Person-to-person spread

The virus is thought to spread mainly from person-to-person.

• Between people who are in close contact with one another (within about 6 feet).
• Through respiratory droplets produced when an infected person coughs or sneezes.

These droplets can land in the mouths or noses of people who are nearby or possibly be inhaled into the lungs.

Can someone spread the virus without being sick?

• People are thought to be most contagious when they are most symptomatic (the sickest).
• Some spread might be possible before people show symptoms; there have been reports of this occurring with this new coronavirus, but this is not thought to be the main way the virus spreads.

Spread from contact with contaminated surfaces or objects

It may be possible that a person can get COVID-19 by touching a surface or object that has the virus on it and then touching their own mouth, nose, or possibly their eyes, but this is not thought to be the main way the virus spreads.

How easily the virus spreads

How easily a virus spreads from person-to-person can vary. Some viruses are highly contagious (spread easily), like measles, while other viruses do not spread as easily. Another factor is whether the spread is sustained, spreading continually without stopping.

The virus that causes COVID-19 seems to be spreading easily and sustainably in the community (“community spread”) in some affected geographic areas.

What Can I Do?

The CDC recommends the following precautions to slow the spread of COVID-19:

• Stay home if you are sick. Avoid close contact with people who are sick.
• Cover your nose and mouth with a tissue or sleeve when sneezing or coughing — do not use your hands.
• Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 30 seconds, or use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer.
• Do not touch your face with unwashed hands.
• Do not shake hands. Instead, wave or elbow bump.
• If you have family or friends who are elderly, have compromised immune systems or chronic respiratory or coronary issues, do not visit them if you feel sick. Stay home and keep your loved ones safe.
• Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces using a regular household cleaning spray or disinfecting wipes.
• More information for those who may have compromised immune systems.

What is the YMCA Doing?

• We are enhancing our hygiene protocols in several ways to keep our facilities clean and our communities safe:
• We are significantly increasing our cleaning frequency of high-traffic areas and high-touch items, including doorknobs, exercise equipment, locker rooms, phones, banisters, tabletops, and handrails.
• We are increasing our signage and messaging across all channels to continue to build awareness and adherence to CDC general health and flu prevention guidelines.
• Disinfectant sprays are available for wiping down YMCA equipment. Please wipe down your equipment after you complete your workout.

More Information

For further information, please use the following links:

• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
• Maine Health and Human Services