Rescue Mission breaks ground on $5.8 million expansion project

SYRACUSE, N.Y. — The Rescue Mission Alliance on Wednesday broke ground on a $5.8 million project to renovate and expand the Clarence L. Jordan Food Service and Culinary Education Center.

The Rescue Mission is headquartered at 148 Gifford St. in Syracuse.

The morning event marked the beginning of the public phase of the organization’s capital campaign, Carolyn Hendrickson, senior philanthropy officer at the Rescue Mission, said in her remarks to open the festivities.

“I’m happy to report today that we are just under a million dollars from our goal to finish up both parts of the project, and I can’t thank everyone enough who has made a contribution to make this happen,” said Hendrickson.

The capital campaign is called “Believe: a Warm Meal and a Way Home.”

Before the Rescue Mission could break ground, it had a goal to raise $4.8 million of the $5.8 million that the project is estimated to cost.

“We’re excited to say we’ve done that thanks to so many of your generous contributions,” Hendrickson told the gathering at the project site.

Hendrickson and David Allyn, the Rescue Mission’s capital-campaign chairman, have been working on the project.

In his remarks, Allyn noted that, so far, more than 170 foundations, companies, churches, and individuals have contributed to the capital campaign.

This is the Rescue Mission’s first capital campaign in more than 25 years, according to Hendrickson.

Completed in 2015, the first phase included the renovation of the Rescue Mission’s former recreation center into the Alice C. Barber Day Center and Kiesewetter Emergency Shelter. The project increased capacity from 132 beds to 183 beds and essential services were consolidated in one location.

The food-service center expansion represents the second phase of the capital project.

About the project

Parsons-McKenna Construction Co. is the general contractor for the project, which is scheduled for completion in 2020. King + King Architects is the project architect.

Plans call for adding to the existing building, creating space that will feature an expanded dining area with more seating, additional serving lines to reduce waiting, and a family dining room where parents and children can sit together. The project will also update the commercial kitchen, increase storage capacity for additional food donations, and create an all-purpose space for spiritual care, meeting space, and overflow seating during meals.

The building will also include expanded space for the Rescue Mission’s culinary training program to prepare students for employment in the food-service industry.

The food-service and culinary-education center will continue to bear the name of Clarence L. Jordan, a longtime Rescue Mission executive director and an honorary board member, according to the news release.

Contact Reinhardt at ereinhardt@cnybj.com