New York-based Stewart’s Shops and the Dake family have made a donation of $100,000 to the Little Falls Youth & Family Center for its Community Services Capital Campaign.
The campaign plans to modernize three program facilities serving over 100,000 individuals annually through 80 educational, instructional and community service programs. The Little Falls Youth & Family Center has served Little Falls, N.Y., and the surrounding Mohawk Valley communities, including Herkimer, Dolgeville, Salisbury, Stratford and St. Johnsville, for more than 140 years. Today, the center is the preeminent resource in the Mohawk Valley for the homeless and low-income families in need of food, clothing, shelter and reliable childcare.
“We are immensely grateful for the support of Stewart’s Shops and the Dake Family for their generous contribution to our Community Services Capital Campaign and their continued support of the center’s mission,” said Anthony DeLuca, executive director of the Little Falls Youth & Family Center. “This important gift will put us over our 80% milestone, moving the campaign closer to achieving our $2.5 million goal. The support of organizations like Stewart’s Shops and the Dake Family enrich our communities in immeasurable ways.”
According to DeLuca, the three Little Falls facilities being upgraded include the center’s primary location for emergency housing, aquatics and health/fitness programs at 15 Jackson St., the senior center and transitional housing at 524 E. Main St., and the childcare services, food pantry and thrift store at 45 Furnace St.
“We are proud to support our shops’ communities. We recognize the need for more childcare and family services in Little Falls, and this project will provide more access to these much-needed programs,” said Susan Dake, president of Stewart’s Shops Foundation.
The initial construction phase has begun at the Main Street Senior Center and the center’s primary facility, with the childcare services expansion to follow in late fall 2023.
Stewart’s Shops gives $9 million annually to over 6,000 non-profit organizations. $6 million of it comes from Dake Family Foundations.
