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Corry McDonald, volunteer and site supervisor and Keiajah Washington, background, with the Schenectady County Summer Youth Program, serve families food during a SiCM free lunch program at the Greater Faith Christian Center on Tuesday, July 2, 2019, in Schenectady, N.Y. The Schenectady Community Ministries (SiCM), has begun their 25th year of serving summer meals for children. The program feeds children breakfast and lunch at various fixed and mobile sites through August 30th. SiCM is an organization made up of 52 congregations that served 53,150 meals last summer. The locations of the breakfast or lunch sites can be found at www.sicm.us. (Paul Buckowski/Times Union) lessCorry McDonald, volunteer and site supervisor and Keiajah Washington, background, with the Schenectady County Summer Youth Program, serve families food during a SiCM free lunch program at the Greater Faith ... morePhoto: Paul Buckowski
SCHENECTADY – A community group was missing a key piece to its giving puzzle recently when a van used to transport needy families back home from its food pantry was destroyed in a crash in early October.
For two weeks, transportation of needy families was grounded, and the program was hurting. The group rented a van, but that solution was only temporary.
Thanks to donations from organizations and individuals, the Schenectady Inner City Ministry (SiCM) purchased a new Ford Transit. SiCM will show off its new more spacious and fuel-efficient 12-passenger van on Tuesday at 9 a.m. outside the pantry, 839 Albany St.
“We’re able to supply people with five days’ worth of food, and it’s very difficult if not impossible for them to get it home, and so if we don’t do that sometimes people don’t come and stay hungry,” said Phil Grigsby, executive director of SiCM.
On average, the van drops off between 10 and 20 families a day home from the food pantry.
Grigsby said Metro Ford sold SiCM the $43,000 special order vehicle at cost.
“The great thing about this vehicle is that because it has more capacity, it will make it quicker to take people, and we could probably take more people,” said Grigsby. “It’s been an enormous outpouring – very heartwarming.”
He said the group also plans to also the van to pick up donated food and to conduct other business.
Donations from the following groups made the purchase possible: First Reformed Church, Price Chopper/Market 32, The Schenectady Foundation, Seymour Fox Foundation, Wright Family Foundation, the Little Family Foundation and MVP Health Care.
