The Season of Giving: Charitable Efforts to Lift Spirits and Bring Comfort in the Cold

Catholic Charities Food Pantry in Richmondville

By Diane Dobry

SCHOHARIE COUNTY — The “Most Wonderful Time of the Year” is here—but for some, wonderful feels far away. While Santa and his elves may symbolize holiday cheer, real joy often comes from people and organizations in our own communities. Across Schoharie and nearby counties, charitable organizations, local businesses, and volunteers are coming together to make sure no one is left out in the cold this holiday season.

What makes this season truly special? Giving. Feeding. Warming. Helping neighbors who are struggling. Two key organizations—the Joshua Project and Catholic Charities—in partnership with other organizations and an army of volunteers, are joining forces to spread warmth and comfort when it’s needed most.

Catholic Charities

Located at 1455 Route 7 in Richmondville, Catholic Charities provides year-round community support, from a food pantry and thrift shop to assistance with housing, transportation, and mediation. The thrift shop not only funds many of these programs but also offers low-cost options for clothing and household goods.

As winter approaches, their efforts expand. From November 1 through March 31, a warming station operates seven days a week at Warnerville Methodist Church , 1615 State Route 7, Warnerville, offering a place for up to ten people to stay warm, do laundry, and take showers. Food is available there, though most bring their own. On weekdays, the station is open 5 p.m. to 8 a.m., and it is available 24 hours on weekends and holidays. For information call: 518-234-3581.

Executive Director Christy Houck, who oversees Catholic Charities in Otsego, Delaware, and Schoharie Counties, says the warming station plays a crucial role in keeping people safe through the cold months. While the center doesn’t use volunteers in the station, donations are always welcome. Their website’s wish list includes items such as socks, hygiene products, shelf-stable meals, bottled water, and coffee, tea,or cocoa. Find the list at:  www.charitiesccdos.org.

During the day, the Richmondville office offers a warm space for visitors to meet with case managers who can help connect them with other resources.

Catholic Charities also joins with the Joshua Project for major holiday efforts, such as sharing donations and volunteers to pack and deliver Thanksgiving meals. “If holiday donations come our way, we put them together as emergency help for families who might have missed other deadlines,” Houck added. This year, the Catholic Charities staff also decided to personally contribute as a group to the Joshua Project’s Adopt-A-Family program.

She credits collaboration for making these programs thrive: “We cover a lot of ground, but we couldn’t do it without all of the different agencies and partners we work with. People really are trying hard to take care of the community.”

The Joshua Project

Founded in 2012 after the 2011 floods, the Joshua Project is a faith-based nonprofit that supports the most vulnerable residents of Schoharie County. With year-round programs providing food to people in need in the Village of Middleburgh, clothing, household needs, and temporary financial aid, they aim to “make the common good a reality.”

One of their ongoing efforts, in partnership with the United Way, provides backpacks of food to more than 200 schoolchildren across and surrounding Schoharie County and in southern Albany County. During the summer, the group also serves free lunches in Middleburgh, Cobleskill, Richmondville, and Central Bridge—over 7,500 meals this past summer alone.

As winter sets in, their focus turns to warmth and holiday comfort. Their Coats for Kids program, based at St. Mark’s in Middleburgh, also serves adults in need—especially the homeless. Over 100 coats have already been distributed this season, with numbers expected to surpass last year’s 150. Continuing this Thursday and Friday (November  6th and 7th) from 9 am to 7 p.m. and Saturday (November 8th) from 9 a.m. to noon.

For Thanksgiving, the Joshua Project and Catholic Charities assemble and deliver Thanksgiving dinner baskets filled with turkeys, potatoes, stuffing, yams, cranberry sauce, gravy, and dessert that families can prepare. Those in need can sign up online or use contact information below “Last year we delivered 452 baskets,” said Patrick Costello, The Joshua Project’s president. “This year will be our biggest yet.”

Immediately after Thanksgiving, attention shifts to the Adopt-A-Family and Christmas for Kids programs. Through these efforts, donors—families, businesses, church groups, and individuals—can “adopt” a local family and provide holiday gifts and essentials. Applications and donor sign-ups are available at joshuaschoharie.org.

The Christmas for Kids initiative allows families in need to “shop” for new  items—toys, books, games, puzzles, and clothes—all donated by community members and local businesses such as Dollar General. Parents can select a few free items plus wrapping paper to take home. Adopt-A-Family gifts are due December 14, and shopping days run December 15–18.

To learn more or sign up, residents can call 518-937-2422, email joshuafoundation1@gmail.com, or message the group on Facebook.

A Community That Cares

The Joshua Project’s ability to make an impact stretches beyond their organization. Costello highlights the importance of partners like the Salvation Army, whose iconic red kettle collections between Thanksgiving and Christmas help fund local causes. “The money raised in the kettles stays in Schoharie County,” he said. “It supports groups, sends kids to summer camp, and helps families we couldn’t otherwise reach.”

“We also work with over 300 volunteers a year,” Costello said. “We can always use volunteers. Because of them the project works—some work one or two days a year, some work week-after-week, and some just help with the Thanksgiving basket program.  We have hundreds of people who work at Christmas for kids.”

One especially generous supporter, Karen Brueck of Cobleskill, is helping make the group’s next big dream a reality: a new 53’ x 100’ facility on Route 145. The building will consolidate their operations and provide a 12’ x 12’ walk-in cooler and freezer that will allow food storage for and distribution to local food pantries. Brueck, a retired Sharon Springs teacher of 40 years, donated $175,000 to help fund the project. “She decided to make the contribution now rather than leave it in her will, she told us,” Costello said. Thanks to her and other donors, the facility may be ready in time to pack Thanksgiving baskets this year.

The Gift of Giving

The Joshua Project is 100% privately funded, operating without government support. For 14 years, the organization has survived through the generosity of local people.

That generosity takes many forms: delivering meals to the homebound, sorting donations, packing Thanksgiving baskets, or simply sharing warmth through a coat or a kind word.

As Houck from Catholic Charities put it, “People really are trying hard to take care of each other.”

In a season often defined by wish lists and celebrations, these organizations remind us what truly makes it “the most wonderful time of the year”: the power of community, compassion, and giving—through every dollar dropped into a kettle, every package of food donated, every item donated, and every hour volunteered—one act of kindness at a time.