Never having had a home base, the Joshua Project is now raising money to build one.
Preliminary plans for the building, to be on Route 145 near Aidone’s Eye Care in East Cobleskill, show a 40-by-100 structure, large enough to house the Joshua Project’s goods for programs ranging from food to furniture.
“It’s real now,” said Mark Quandt, chair of Joshua’s Building Committee. “It will raise the profile of the Joshua Project.”
The Cobleskill Town Planning Board is expected to act on the plans Monday night.
A chicken barbeque this Friday at the Parrott House in Schoharie will kick off fundraising, but that will net only a tiny fraction of what’s needed:
$350,000.
“We expect to be in that range,” said Joshua President Pat Costello.
Fundraising mailers will go to groups and individuals, and the Joshua Project is also looking for in-kind contributions, such as excavation and carpentry.
Designed by SRG Architects, the building will sit on a 2.8-acre parcel the Joshua Project bought last year. It will include an office, conference room, bathroom, walk-in freezers and coolers and a large space for storing furniture.
Joshua volunteers provide free furniture for needy families, though the furniture’s been stored in five barns scattered around the county.
“It’s spread out all over the place,” Mr. Costello said of the furniture. “Now we’ll have one place where we can actually clean it.”
There will also be room for Coats for Kids storage and space for toys for Christmas for Kids.
The freezer and cooler will allow volunteers to store food for Joshua’s popular Backpack Program and its Thanksgiving baskets, both of which aid needy families.
“It may also be an asset to local food pantries that don’t have storage room,” Mr. Costello said. “We’re more than happy to offer our services.”
Another plus is location. The building will be in the center of the county, Mr. Costello noted at a Joshua Project meeting Tuesday night, and the organization serves the entire county.
“This is progress, folks,” Mr. Costello told about 25 volunteers Tuesday night. “This is very, very exciting.”
Aside from the benefits of storage, location and organizational space, the Joshua Project will actually have a physical presence it hasn’t had.
“It will open eyes,” Mr. Quandt said. “We’ll be on a busy highway. People will say, ‘Look, there’s the Joshua Project.’ There are positive vibes.”
Mr. Costello hopes the building will be up by fall, though he admitted that’s ambitious.
“Maybe next winter,” he added.
The Joshua Project depends heavily on donations for its programs, and the building project is a special drive.
To donate, mail a check to the Joshua Project, PO Box 413 Middleburgh, NY 12122, with ‘building fund’ in the memo line.
Or visit the website, joshuaschoharie.org.