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ARTICLE OPTIONS
LOWVILLE — It’s official. The Lowville Food Pantry has received a $25,000 boost to its building rehabilitation project through a recent online voting contest.
“I thank everyone who voted for us,” pantry chief executive officer Daniel N. Taylor said.
The local food pantry’s project was one of the top 40 vote-getters in the State Farm Neighborhood Assist program, with each to receive $25,000 from the insurance company. The awards were formally announced via a web posting at midnight Sept. 28, designated as National Good Neighbor Day.
People from the local community and beyond were asked to support the project by voting online from Aug. 16 to 25, with each person allowed to cast up to 10 votes each day. Two hundred projects throughout the country, selected from an initial pool of 2,000, were eligible for funding.
Mr. Taylor said he heard that people from throughout the country, including Tennessee, Colorado and Washington, cast votes for the project. He admitted he was skeptical of the pantry’s chances but was grateful for the support that propelled the local project over ones from much more populous areas.
The Lowville Food Pantry, which currently leases a 2,800-square-foot building at 7646 Forest Ave., last year secured the former AMF mill property at 5502 Trinity Ave. from the bowling pin manufacturer in hopes of ultimately redeveloping it to house a more spacious pantry and cover other community needs.
The money will be used to rehabilitate an old two-story building at the rear of the property — once used to manufacture pool cues — that is now being used by the Lewis County Christmas Sharing and Santa for Seniors programs, as well as for excess food storage and some meetings. Plans are to switch the furnace from oil to natural gas to save money on heating, change the building from three-phase industrial to commercial power to reduce electricity costs, replace the front door, add storm windows and install new insulation and siding.
“Rehabilitating an old building that has been sitting here as an eyesore is a wonderful thing,” Mr. Taylor said. “We’re repurposing it for a better purpose.”
A free “community thank you lunch” was held Sept. 30 at American Legion Post 162 and the Lewis County Habitat for Humanity group are holding a series of work days to assist with the renovation project.
“This was a county-wide and beyond effort,” local State Farm agent Thomas J. Spaulding said. “It shows we can do anything as a community when we come together. The online voters just helped over 300 needy families for a very long time. Not only am I proud to be a business owner in Lewis County but I am also proud to say this is just the beginning of many more great things we plan to do.”
Mr. Spaulding said he has emailed out information on the 2018 State Farm Good Neighbor Citizenship program, which offers funding for safety, community development and education programs, and hopes area governments, emergency services, schools and other agencies can take advantage of them. The submission deadline is Oct. 31.
Ironically enough, Mr. Taylor’s birthday fell on the final day of voting, while Mr. Spaulding’s birthday was the official award announcement date.
