Lake Placid Thrive and Thrift is the new 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that’ll take over the operations of the Lake Placid Ecumenical Food Pantry and the shuttered Helping Hands Thrift Shop from the Lake Placid Ecumenical Council. The project was previously unofficially referred to as the Helping Hands Community Hub until this new name was announced.

“It’s not that we’re dissolving the Ecumenical Council, but we’re evolving from the Ecumenical Council,” Lake Placid Baptist Church Pastor Jim Koenig said on Thursday, July 11.

Koenig heads Thrive and Thrift’s new eight-member board, which also includes ADK Bridges to Empowerment co-founder Ed Dempsey, Lake Placid Public Library Assistant Librarian Karen Armstrong, food pantry volunteer Kathleen Martens, Lake Placid Central School District representative Jessica Seymour, St. Agnes Catholic Church Rev. John Yonkovig, North Elba town Councilor Rick Preston and Lake Placid village Trustee Jackie Kelly.

The project received a $250,000 financial commitment from New York state Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie last month. Though this contribution technically puts the project over its initial fundraising goal, allowing the project to look at amenities like a finished basement and furniture that were not previously in the budget, additional fundraising is still underway.

“(The $250,000) is a remarkable testament to the state’s investment in this community,” Adirondack Foundation Executive Director Cali Brooks said last Thursday. “But, that state funding just takes time to get from announcement into the hands of the food pantry, and we’re really trying hard to open the food pantry up in October. So, we’re really hoping to get to $800,000 sooner than we think the state will be able to release the funds.”

The project is currently at about $700,000 without the state’s commitment, Koenig said.

Though the project started with large donations from private donors, it moved this spring into a fundraising stage that focuses on smaller contributions through community fundraising events, including a May fundraiser at Mr. Mike’s Pizza that raised more than $10,000 and a June 30 reopening fundraiser at Generations Tap and Grill, which raised more than $4,000.

“We also want everybody in the community to feel part of this project,” Brooks said. “It’s such an exciting project, and so many people attended the Mr. Mike’s event, attended the Generations reopening or (have) written a check. But we hope everybody feels that they can be a part of this, whether they’re giving $25 or $250 or more.”

“It’s the time for everybody to put their two cents in, even if it’s a $5 gift or a $50 gift,” Koenig added. “I think we’ve all had those moments where we were in need ourselves and somebody reached out, and this is really that giving it forward.”

The Adirondack Foundation was the 501(c)(3) fiscal sponsor of the project when it was starting out, as Thrive and Thrift had not formed its own 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization yet. As the project moves forward, the Adirondack Foundation’s fundraising campaign will wrap up and the new Thrive and Thrift board will take over. For now, though, the Adirondack Foundation is still the place for people to donate to the project — online donations can be made at adirondackfoundation.org and checks can be made payable to the Adirondack Foundation with the name of the fund in the memo. Gifts of stock and qualified charitable distributions from IRAs are also accepted. The direct page for Thrive and Thrift fundraising is https://tinyurl.com/ykue2mnp.

Another gift Thrive and Thrift will be happy to accept is volunteer time. The Ecumenical Food Pantry currently relies on a rotating group of 40 volunteers led by Linda Young, who also managed the thrift shop before it closed. As the services move into the new facility in the fall, more volunteers will be needed to keep the place running.

“It’s going to be a larger space, and we’re going to need more volunteers,” Koenig said. “There is nobody paid on staff right now. … It’s a completely volunteer-driven organization. So, as we reopen the thrift store, there’s going to be some challenges to go along with manning a thrift store.”

Koenig said that Thrive and Thrift will be a true community resource, recalling a time in his life when he also relied on his community for assistance.

“I remember, 12 years ago, we had lost our job,” he said. “This guy came up to us and said, ‘I’m your grocery guy. If you ever need groceries, just call me up. Give me a list. I’ll deliver.’ That moment was so meaningful to our family, and that’s a big part of what the Ecumenical Council has done, is we’ve just kind of stood in the gap quietly forever.”

The building is set to be placed on its foundation in early August, with the food pantry and thrift shop opening to the public in October. Lake Placid-based housing nonprofit Homestead Development Corporation is overseeing the project, working with Simplex Homes, a modular construction company based in Pennsylvania, to design and fabricate the building. Homestead previously worked with Simplex to build Fawn Valley, a 22-unit housing development for essential workers that recently went on the market.

Thrive and Thrift is being built on the site of the former LPCSD basketball courts next to the Shipman Youth Center. LPCSD voters chose to donate that plot of land to the town of North Elba in June in a decisive 390-25 vote. North Elba will own the building and have a long-term lease agreement with Thrive and Thrift.

(Editor/Publisher Andy Flynn contributed to this report.)