From left, Carolyn Wright, Tioga County Senior Citizens Foundation board secretary presents a grant donation to TOI Community Services Director Fred Trzcinski and TOI Executive Director Kathleen Horner to be used to assist local food pantries and the agency-sponsored Group Workcamps program.
John Stoughton and Nancy Hunt are volunteers with the Helping Hands Food Pantry, one of seven food pantries in Tioga County under the TOI umbrella. The pantry is open from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. Mondays and 2 to 4 p.m. Thursdays and is located in the basement of the Berkshire Community Hall, 11 Jewett Hill Road in Berkshire.
The Tioga County Senior Citizens Foundation recently stepped forward with two generous donations to Tioga Opportunities, Inc. to offset costs for two valuable programs offered by Tioga Opportunities, Inc.
First, a grant was awarded to support this year’s very successful 2014 Group Workcamps program held during the last week in July in Tioga County. During the weeklong program, property enhancements were completed for 56 county residents. In the eight years since Group Workcamps has been active in Tioga County, 368 homes have benefited from various improvements including exterior and interior painting, small porches or decks, wheelchair ramps and mobile home skirting.
The estimated economic impact of the enhancements, as well as the dollars spent in Tioga County for supplies and materials, along with food and housing for the campers, is now well over $1 million.
The donated funds will help tremendously with expenses incurred for the purchase of needed supplies and materials for project completion.
Secondly, a grant was awarded to support the seven food pantries and one soup kitchen located across the county and financially administered by Tioga Opportunities.
Erin Summerlee of FaHN offered estimates of food insecure individuals in 2012 for Tioga County to be 2,170 children and 4,770 all residents; making it 18.3 percent of the children and 9.3 percent of residents. Such statistics are supported in the numbers of individuals who participate in the TOI food pantries and soup kitchen.
Simply stated, Tioga Opportunities, Inc. is grateful to the Senior Citizens Foundation for recognizing the value of these programs and then delivering the financial support crucial for their continued success.
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