Yesterday we celebrated the completion of one of our latest projects - a new greenhouse at St. Joseph’s Outreach Center in Plattsburgh! The greenhouse, made possible by a generous grant from Hydro-Québec as part of their Champlain Hudson Power Express (CHPE) project, will allow JCEO to provide fresh, locally grown produce through our Plattsburgh Food Pantry.

Complementing our two existing greenhouses in Franklin County, the new greenhouse will allow us to grow and distribute fresh, locally sourced produce to families in need who visit our pantry. As our CEO Nicole Laurin highlighted during the ceremony, fresh fruits and vegetables are often the first things cut from grocery budgets when times are tough. With this greenhouse, we can ensure more families will have access to healthy, nutritious food.

Partership with Purpose. If you talk to JCEO staff, they’ll tell you - we can’t do this alone. It’s through partnerships with our sister organizations that we’re able to serve the numbers we do. The greenhouse is no different! Through partnerships with NAMI, the Clinton County Youth Bureau, and the Veterans Association, volunteers will help grow produce and maintain the greenhouse. This works twofold, by ensuring the greenhouse is well tended, and by providing volunteers a therapeutic, hands-on environment to work in. Cornell Cooperative Extension will be providing technical assistance to keep produce growing. St. Joseph’s is the host site, and a committed partner to Community Action, offering a range of services that complement JCEO’s Community Outreach Program.

This is just another step in our long-standing commitment to fighting poverty in the North Country. Last year alone, JCEO served more than 12,000 people across Clinton and Franklin Counties, distributing over 770,000lbs of food and making sure our neighbors don’t go hungry. We didn’t do it alone - JCEO volunteers logged thousands of hours working in the food pantries and outreach centers, providing medical transportation, and working at fundraisers. Community members consistently showed up, as volunteers, donors, and stakeholders.

With the addition of this new greenhouse, we’re keeping the momentum going. Together, we’ll continue to grow - both in the resources we provide, and in the impact we make.

Thank you to Hydro-Québec for sponsoring the project, to St. Joseph’s Outreach Center for partnering, to Rand Hill Lawns for helping with construction, to Cornell Cooperative Extension, NAMI, the Veterans Association, and the Clinton County Youth Bureau for helping grow produce, and to Supervisor Michael Cashman and Assemblyman Billy Jones for showing their support. We look forward to our first harvest!