The Oneonta Elks Club donated a commercial-grade refrigerator-freezer to the Veterans Resource Center in the Armory on Wednesday, May 14 to help with food distribution to local vets.
Pat Pidgeon, the Elks’ outgoing president, said that the club secured a $4,000 grant through a private endowment and spent $3,200 on the fridge, which is 23 cubic feet on each side. Several members of the club presented a check for the $800 remainder to the center to buy food.
The Oneonta Veterans Resource Center is run by the Utica Center for Development, which was founded in 2008 and serves veterans in 12 upstate counties, helping with access housing assistance, VA health benefits, legal aid, food, transportation and other services.
UDC leased a 630-square-foot first floor office in the Armory to house its veterans services.
Since the center’s grand opening two months ago, “almost every day we have somebody coming in needing food,” the center’s Chief Administrator Gary Flaherty said Wednesday. “We’ve been able to help four veterans with housing that were homeless … and we’re expanding into Delaware County. Last week, I took a 94-year-old deaf veteran, who fought in North Korea, down to Binghamton to get his hearing aids.”
Pidgeon said that the Oneonta Elks have welcomed veterans once a month at the club’s Wednesday night dinners, held at the Chestnut Street lodge. Last month, 28 veterans came to dinner.
“Through one of their outreach programs,” Pidgeon said, “they pay us for to have the veterans, but then veterans come and eat for free. So it’s a win-win situation, for us and for them. And for 15 bucks, get the best meal in town on a Wednesday night.”
The center’s food pantry is open from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Monday to Friday for pickup as well as donation drop off.
“We are looking for local business and people to partner with for food donation collection and are happy to drop off information to anyone interested,” said Case Manager Kerri Lincoln. “We are in need of canned food, dry goods, hygiene items, cleaning supplies and first aid items. All donations are donated directly to veterans and their families in Otsego and Delaware counties.”
The Armory was constructed in 1905 and became home to Oneonta’s Company G, the first regiment of the New York State National Guard. The Armory was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1995, and the city acquired the Armory in 2003. It was designated as the Asa C. Allison Jr. Municipal Building last year.