City Mission of Schenectady

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The Schenectady City Mission haas received $10,000 for its workforce training and placement program, thanks to a General Electric executive.

Featuring photos of clients, volunteers and friends of City Mission of Schenectady; as shown at our 104th Anniversary Banquet.  The theme of the video is “Never Alone”.  Thank you to all of those who have helped City Mission send the message to those we serve that they are not alone.  Many have requested this video, so enjoy!

(alternate video link)

 Over 300 people were able to enjoy a bountiful breakfast this past Saturday thanks to faithful volunteers from General Electric.  This meal set a new attendance record for Saturday morning breakfasts.

“Thank you” to over 20 employees of Empire Blue Cross in Albany, NY who joined City Mission for a Community Service Day.  Projects included: painting, gardening and light assembly work.

By Web Staff

SCHENECTADY, N.Y. — Close to 300 people shared Easter dinner at the City Mission on Smith Street in Schenectady. Forty volunteers served ham, yams, mixed vegetables and dessert to anyone who wanted it. All the food is donated or bought from money that is donated to the cause.

 ”It’s about the mission being able to help other people that need to help, there’s a lot of good people, a lot of fellowship here where people can come and have a nice meal and enjoy the company of others and be able to talk and enjoy the meal,” said Steven Rodriguez, volunteer.

“You have to always remember the true meaning of Easter, it’s not about the Easter baskets or ham and yams but be grateful that comes with it, it’s a blessing,” said Belinda Seals.

Those who ate were able to take home Easter baskets for their kids. City Mission volunteers also delivered plates to residents at a nearby apartment complex.

(Click here to watch video)

Charity Navigator is America’s premier independent charity evaluator. They help charitable givers make intelligent giving decisions by providing in-depth, objective ratings and analysis of the financial health of America’s largest charities. Charity Navigator awarded City Mission of Schenectady four out of a possible four stars. In earning Charity Navigator’s highest four star rating, City Mission has demonstrated exceptional financial health, outperforming most of its peers in its efforts to manage and grow its finances in the most fiscally responsible way possible.

Your partnership with City Mission helps to accomplish many things. You help provide shelter to over 90 men, women and children each night, and help us to serve nearly 450 meals each day. You help provide work and life skills training, and the gift of friendship to many who find themselves alone in life. Above all, however, you help make City Mission a place where lives are changed.

As you read through this edition of the Mission Journal, We hope you are encouraged about how you are helping to make a difference in the lives of others.

This document consists of two parts, the main newsletter, and an additional tribute insert, both in “pdf” format.

By CATHY WOODRUFF, Staff writer

SCHENECTADY — It’s just a few blocks away, but for students at Union College, the City Mission of Schenectady can easily seem like it’s a world away, says Erin Delman, a Union sophomore from Los Angeles.

That’s why Delman signed on with enthusiasm when her roommate, senior Jill Falchi of Sauquoit, Oneida County, started organizing a local branch of a national program called Campus Kitchens.

Each Saturday, dozens of Union students gather in the kitchen of College Park Hall and prepare a hot meal to be served to some 150 people at the mission. Read the rest of this entry »

Well, we have a new look at CityMission.com; but the new format is more than just a facelift. Our goal is to offer a more user-friendly experience and to promote interactivity. As we add more articles, news, reports and announcements, you will be able to offer your feedback as well. Each new post has a feedback form at the bottom (or comments link), so let us know what you think. Enjoy the site!

By Justin Mason, Gazette Reporter

SCHENECTADY — Jill Falchi was always bothered by the food she saw wasted at restaurants. 

In her years working at banquet halls and eateries, the 21-year-old Union College senior always bristled at the sight of a garbage can filled with perfectly edible food. She always wondered why the unused food couldn’t be given to someone in need instead of wasting away in a landfill.

“I’ve worked in restaurants all my life and they throw so much food away,” she said Saturday.

Likewise, she wondered why Union’s six dining halls couldn’t put their leftovers to better use. And that’s when she learned about the Campus Kitchen Project, a national volunteer program that teaches students how to recycle food from their cafeteria into nourishing meals for the needy.

Each week, Falchi and a group of about 30 volunteers gather unused food items from the dining halls and create a menu that is cooked at the kitchen in Union’s College Park Hall on Saturday morning. In total, the students prepare about 150 meals, which are delivered to the Schenectady City Mission hot and ready to serve during the late afternoon.

Mike Saccocio, City Mission executive director, said the Campus Kitchen program under Falchi’s direction has been a windfall, especially considering the general scarcity of volunteer resources during the weekends. He said the meals, now in their fourth week, help supplement the mission’s normal food service.

“It is a huge help to us because they take care of the whole meal,” he said. “For a place like the mission where we are putting out four meals a day seven days a week, this is a real gift.”

But with Falchi’s culinary prowess, these aren’t just any meals. She has a knack for turning the unused food into scrumptious meals that one could easily mistake for restaurant quality.  (See Daily Gazette for more)