Columbia County Recovery Kitchen has moved its operations from Christ Church Episcopal in Hudson to the Claverack Fire Station.
Jolene Race, executive director of Columbia County Recovery Kitchen, said the organization realized it lacked the space at its previous location to prepare and deliver meals to Columbia County residents.
“We needed a bigger kitchen to expand our program,” she said. “One of our board members had heard that Churchtown Fire Department was not going to renew their contract with Tagcanic and Claverack, so we reached out to them because we knew they had a commercial kitchen.”
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Race said the Columbia County Recovery Kitchen operated out of the Hudson Church for four years, starting in 2020. The kitchen prepares and delivers meals to more than 800 people in Columbia County Monday through Friday, as well as children enrolled in the Columbia Opportunities Head Start program and the Hudson Youth Center.
Race said they looked at several other locations for relocation and realized the fire station was the best option for a new location.
“It's located pretty much in the center of the county,” she said, “with plenty of warehouse space and a walk-in refrigerator in the basement. The timing was perfect for both organizations.”
In June, the Claverack Town Council unanimously voted to dissolve the Churchtown Fire Protection District, ending the town's contract with the fire department on July 1.
Fire Protection Districts are tax-exempt organizations that contract with the municipality or fire district they serve. Churchtown Fire District was established 89 years ago in 1935 and merged with Claverack Fire District upon the dissolution of the Claverack Town Council.
AB Shaw Fire Brigade took over the contract with Claverack after the Churchtown Fire Brigade Fire Protection District was dissolved. The company previously also provided services to Tugcanick but stopped responding to calls within the town in January after Tugcanick Town Council voted to incorporate the fire brigade into the Tugcanick Fire Protection District.
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Following the dissolution of the fire district, Churchtown Fire Brigade established a new legal entity, Churchtown Fire Community Support Centre, to continue providing services to the community.
Churchtown Fire Department Management Board Trustee Bob Preusser said incorporating will allow the fire department to remain an asset to the community.
“That's the only reason we did this – to maintain our property and our buildings and continue to be a resource for the community,” he said.
Prusser said the company plans to continue supporting the Red Cross in disaster shelters, maintain its scholarship program, rent out its auditorium and host fundraisers.
Working with the Churchtown Fire Department is an ideal partnership for both the firefighters and the Columbia County Recovery Kitchen, Race said.
“We're already seeing this as almost a perfect partnership for the members of the Churchtown Fire Department,” Race said, “Their new mission is to be a community center, so you can expect us to do events together and fundraisers in the future.”
Tommy Carlucci, chef at Columbia County Recovery Kitchen, has worked full time for the organization for two years.
Carlucci's goal was to serve more than 2,000 meals within five years of joining the organization, and he said he expects to reach that goal in September.
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“We have the ability to do that here. [at the firehouse]”We have storage, we have refrigeration. We're always looking ahead and preparing for these numbers, but it just wasn't possible. We outgrew the Anglican Church over a year ago,” he said.
Carlucci said moving the organization to the fire station will make it a part of the community.
“We're going to be part of the Churchtown community,” he said. “This fire station is no longer just a fire station; it's a community center. We're going to be more than just a meal delivery service.”
Food insecurity is a growing issue, Carlucci said.
“All joking aside, in a perfect world I would be out of a job. [but] “Unfortunately, food insecurity is moving in the opposite direction,” he says. “Half the audience that needs our work doesn't know who we are.”
According to the Ministry of Health, food insecurity refers to limited or uncertain access to food due to limited economic resources.
According to a 2023 report from the state Department of Health, 12.3% of adults in Columbia County experienced food insecurity.
Food insecure adults are at higher risk of chronic diseases such as high blood pressure, coronary artery disease and diabetes, the department said.
Carlucci said the organization is working to secure more funding to expand meal services.
“We're only providing one meal a week, but there are 400 to 500 people who actually need two or three meals,” he said.
The move to the Churchtown Fire Station is beneficial for everyone, Race said.
“This is really a win-win for everyone and we have big plans,” she said. “Whether it will come to fruition remains to be seen, but it's great to be working with people who have the same mission.”
Photo: Columbia County Recovery Kitchen
The Columbia County Recovery Kitchen has begun preparing meals in the Churchtown Fire Station kitchen.
Sasha Emerson (front) places cheese on top of cooked meals while Gary Lindquist (back) packs the meals into containers.
Volunteers Gary Linquist (left), Sasha Emerson (center) and Cathy Silliman (right) prepare meals in the Churchtown Fire Station kitchen on Monday.
Volunteers Sasha Emerson, left, and William Waldron, right, fill out ingredients for a meal at the Columbia County Recovery Kitchen.
Churchtown Fire Station sign. The Columbia County Recovery Kitchen has begun operations in the fire station kitchen.
