TOLEDO, Ohio – A 9-year-old removed from his mother’s custody after his weight ballooned to more than 200 pounds returned home slimmer with a free gym membership, exercise equipment and even a new scale.

His story has compelled donations from community organizations. But it will be up to the boy and his family to make sure he doesn’t regain the weight and end up in court again after a juvenile judge in Cleveland released him from protective supervision Thursday.

The boy, who was put in foster care last fall and then spent three months living with an uncle, lost about 50 pounds via exercise and healthy eating. He was returned to his mother under protective supervision in March.

Social service workers still plan to check in with the boy and his mother in Cleveland Heights and have offered them nutritional and health counseling.

“We will remain involved as long as the mother allows us to remain involved,” said Mary Louise Madigan, spokeswoman for Cuyahoga County Children and Family Services.

Placing the boy with his uncle and getting him a gym membership should have been done before he was sent into foster care, said James Hardiman, an attorney with the American Civil Liberties Union of Ohio.