Open Door Mission, located at 226 Warren St. in Downtown Glens Falls , has completed a new 5,300-square-foot kitchen.
Formerly, the kitchen was located in a small building at the corner of Lawrence and Walnut streets.
Open Door Mission had a ribbon cutting and celebrated its 30th anniversary of operation, developing solutions that address the challenges of homelessness and food insecurity that has become a daily reality for many families.
Officials said with the expansion the new kitchen is able to seat 100 guests with a capacity of 200 meals per day. The space allows guests to participate in daily support groups, classes and training. There is a teaching section in the kitchen to train people for workforce opportunities.
“We are honored to serve in this role and meet the growing needs of those in our region,” said Kim Cook, president and CEO. “Having this space opens up endless possibilities and opportunities that we did not have in our old space. That space served us a well for a time, but having the kitchen relocated to Warren Street will allow our staff to focus more on our guests.”
The project was led by Hilltop Construction and AJA Architecture and Planning, with the help of Open Door Mission volunteers. Funding for the project came from community donors as well as corporate and foundation grants, including Prince of Peace Lutheran Church, Charles R. Wood Foundation, Cloudsplitter Foundation, Putnam Family Foundation and Sandy Hill Foundation.
The project included excavation and construction, new freezer/cooler, kitchen equipment, upgraded electrical and natural gas lines.
Open Door Mission, on average, serves more than 1,600 meals a month and with their current 12-bed men’s shelter and six-bed women’s shelter, Open Door is housing homeless people each night of the year. A Code Blue Shelter is also provided during cold winter nights.
In an average year, the Mission’s Food Pantry provides 20,000 meals, as well as distributing thousands of pounds of gleaned and other food items to other local social service organizations, officials said.
In addition to serving hot meals, Open Door Mission provides case management, counseling, connections to community resources, medical screenings, substance abuse recovery support, training classes, budgeting, life and job skills, transportation, and advocacy.
Work at Open Door Mission is not finished. There is a plan to convert the first-floor office space into a chapel. The offices will be moved upstairs, once work there is finished.
Open Door Mission services and care are offered to all people, regardless of race, gender, sexual orientation, national origin, creed, or religion. All of services and programs are provided free of charge.