Because of your generous support we have raised over $850,000 to help meet critical unmet need for families and children in Ulster County since 2007. See our recipients below:

Under the leadership of Director, Jim Tinger, the New Paltz Youth Program (NPYP) serves over 500 different middle school and high school youth annually. The NPYP provides counseling, healthy recreation, tutoring, nourishing meals, social opportunities & field trips all under one small but very SOLID roof! Additionally, the NPYP offers more tutoring in a school than any other community resource in New York State—something they are very proud of!

Contributions went to the purchase of a passenger van to transport kids on educational and recreational field trips, an upgrade of bathroom and kitchen cabinets, new outdoor recreational equipment, a sponsorship fund to allow more kids to join in the field trips and a new sign that will proudly & properly highlight the location of the NPYP at 220 Main Street, New Paltz.

Under the leadership of Dan Whalen, our funding will support a Design Workspace dedicated to learning career skills in fashion, marketing, graphic design, brand building and entrepreneurial opportunities. These skills will build on career development experiences through engaging local businesses whose work closely aligns with the mission of the BGCUC Design Workspace—translating directly into career fields available in Ulster County.

Additionally, Carve for a Cause will fund the purchase of new fitness equipment so the youth will have much needed access to exercise classes, wellness programs and healthy lifestyle choices. Being able to a live healthy lifestyle, starts with having access to resources needed to live one.

With clubhouses strategically located in the areas of highest poverty, food insecurity, crime and drug abuse the Boys and Girls Club serves as a safe haven for over 700 youth of Kingston and Saugerties. The BGCUC provides programs in sports, recreation, arts, environmental, leadership and career readiness. Every youth member also receives a hot meal and snacks daily. All this is provided to the BGCUC members while maintaining a membership rate of $10/year.

Under extremely challenging circumstances, our local non-profit world has worked tirelessly over the past 1 1/2 years, to provide critical support and services to those most impacted by the pandemic. These non-profits have also had to do so with very limited ability to host the fundraising events which sustain their operations throughout the year.

While the sun is beginning to shine on all of us again, it may take years to recalibrate, re-fortify and restore stability to the lives of these non-profits and more importantly, the well-being of the people they serve. Carve for a Cause is focusing their fundraising efforts in the areas of domestic violence, immigrant and migrant working families, mentorship and scholarship programs, social justice initiatives and other critical unmet needs for families and children living in Ulster County and beyond. With your support, the Power of the Pumpkin Community Assistance Fund will distribute $60,000 in grant requests to the following organizations:

Ulster Immigrant Defense Network
Reaping the Harvest
Unshattered
Raising Hope
Center for Spectrum Services
Grace Smith House
Peaceful Guardians Project

Unshattered offers women the freedom to live an addiction-free life. Job skills training and employment, paired with personal development, provides a pathway to financial independence and sustained sobriety. Under the leadership of Kelly Lyndgaard, this very special nonprofit social enterprise teaches women to create designer-quality handbags from upcycled materials. There have been ZERO relapses in 4 years of employment for the women of Unshattered. During COVID-19, Unshattered pivoted production to making surgical masks. They have made nearly 9,000 masks for 260 local hospitals, medical facilities and nursing homes.

For a closer look at their work go to this link: www.unshattered.org/c4c

The funding from Carve for a Cause is being used to renovate and set up the café space where they anticipate serving 100 people per day. The People’s Place Café will provide healthy meals to families or individuals who are experiencing food insecurities, financial stresses or are in need of social contact. There will be no charge for any food or drink offered at the People’s Place Café.

In all of Ulster County, there are only 3 soup kitchens, none of them are in Kingston, nor do any of them operate every day. Your support this year, will help to fill this void, create a pleasant café environment for anyone to dine, taking away the stigma sometimes associated with many soup kitchens and improve the quality of life through access to a healthy diet and social interaction.

The goal of the Peaceful Guardian Project is to bridge the often tense divide between police officers and youth of color. It will enable police officers as well as African-American and Latino youth to put their best selves forward in support of one another. This is done through a compelling and comprehensive 12-week program, whereby officers and youth become both teachers and learners through a mutually supportive learning environment fostering greater understanding, empathy and trust. While the PGP initiative will begin in the City of Kingston, their long-term strategic plan includes replicating this model in similar cities across the Hudson Valley and NY State.

PGP Launch Overview

$50,000 was raised to create a Recreational Therapy Center. St. John Bosco Child and Family Services was founded in 2003 to care for abandoned, neglected, abused and/or dependent children. STBSC currently serves the most at-risk children living in 3 residential homes in Wallkill, Walden and New Paltz. The Recreational Therapy Center will provide a safe setting emphasizing positive psychological and social skill sets, along with a wide range of physical recreational activities.

$20,000 – Purchased generators for 3 Foster Care homes in Walden, New Paltz and Wallkill.

www.stjohnboscocfs.org

$20,000 – To initiate a Senior Grocery Program for at risk seniors in Ulster County.

$10,000 – Supporting the Farm to Food Pantry Program.

$10,000 – Personal Safety Program for the Ulster County School District.

www.thecpca.com

$10,000 – To fund “A Call To Men” – educational/documentary/workshop targeted to Kingston High School boys in an effort to end violence against women.

$5,000 – To purchase new equipment for their Sensory Library.

www.centerforspectrumservices.org

$5,000 – To support their women’s mentoring program.

$2,500 – Supported daycare, after school and summer camp programs for children in need in Ulster County.

$30,000 – This supports scholarships for 170 low-income children to attend local day care, after school and summer camp programs through the YMCA, YWCA and the Center for Creative Education. High quality day childcare for working families as been proven to promote healthy youth development, increase academic success and provide children with the building blocks they need for a positive future.

$30,000 – This provides 60 low-income students with child-friendly, shelf sustainable food to eat during the weekends when school breakfast and lunch are not available. The BackPack Program is in partnership with the Food Bank of The Hudson Valley and supports 30 elementary students in both the New Paltz and Ellenville School districts for 3 years!

$65,000 – Design and build a custom playground for students attending The Center for Spectrum Services, a school specializing in Autistic children’s education.

www.centerforspectrumservices.org

$30,000 – Funded Personal Safety Program teaching 5000 Ulster County pre-k through 6th grade students how to stay safe with an emphasis on sexual abuse prevention.

www.thecpca.com

$20,000 – Supported 40 women in an ongoing mentoring program dedicated to disadvantaged women in Ulster County who are striving to take the first steps toward self-sufficiency.

www.hopesfund.org

$50,000 – We dispersed $10,000 to each past recipient to support and maintain their ongoing programs and mission.

$20,000 – Distribution of fresh produce from local farms (often the most difficult to obtain) to soup kitchens and food pantries across Ulster County.

$30,000 was raised to help serve over 30,000 meals to anyone in need in Ulster County.

www.thequeensgalley.org

$24,000 – Completely renovated the playroom and living room for Washbourne Residence Women’s Shelter in Kingston, NY.

www.familydomesticviolence.org

$18,000 – Purchased new bedding and furniture for every foster care child served in New Paltz and Wallkill. New roof provided for girl’s home in Walden.

www.stjohnboscocfs.org

$1,000 – Created Emergency fund for foster care children going through the court system in Ulster County.

www.casaulster.org

$7,000 – We created the Carve for a Cause job placement program for moderately disabled residents of Ulster County.

www.rcal.com