By MATT DEMIRS
LYNN — Wicked Healthy Vending has joined forces with Lynn Metro North YMCA to award three Youth Center members a $100 scholarship to be used for a YMCA membership.
Scholarship applicants have been asked to submit a one-page essay describing what a healthy lifestyle means to them.
Founder and owner of Wicked Healthy Vending, Tina Paine, began the essay competition as a way for kids to practice writing and their ability to articulate a healthy lifestyle, she said.
“There is no better time to start making healthy choices than in childhood.”
Paine hopes to make this a yearly competition.
“Born and raised on the North Shore, I felt it important to give back to the community. Wicked Healthy Vending wants to do our part to create a healthy community. Our mission matches perfectly with that of the YMCA’s,” said Paine.
Wicked Healthy Vending is the fastest growing healthy vending company in Massachusetts, according to its website.
Since the inception in 2014, Wicked Healthy Vending has grown 700 percent. Paine began with three vending machines providing nutritious snacks and beverages to organizations, businesses and schools.
Now, she has more than 26 machines in the state.
The snacks in the machine include healthy options such as Kind bars, Welch’s fruit snacks, and Pirate’s Booty.
“My overall goal is to join forces with other organizations promoting a healthy mission,” she said.
In addition to providing healthy snacks to Lynn YMCA members, Wicked Healthy Vending is providing financial assistance to Youth Center members who demonstrate their commitment to healthy living.
Essay winners will be announced on Friday.
Matt Demirs can be reached at [email protected]