Rescue Mission completes project expanding food service and culinary education center

SYRACUSE, N.Y. — The Rescue Mission Alliance announced it has completed a $5.8 million project that expanded and renovated the Clarence L. Jordan Food Service and Culinary Education Center.

The Syracuse–based nonprofit, which is located at 155 Gifford St., on Nov. 7 formally opened the facility following the project that spanned more than four years, the Rescue Mission said in a news release.

Salina–based Parsons-McKenna Construction Co. was the general contractor. King + King Architects of Syracuse was the project’s architect. The initiative involved “energy-efficient” construction to reduce utility costs and the structure’s carbon footprint, the Rescue Mission noted.

The Clarence L. Jordan Food Service and Culinary Education Center includes an expanded dining area that “triples seating and better accommodates” foot traffic. The expansion also allows for two serving lines to reduce outdoor waiting.

The work included a “full update” to the nearly 30-year old commercial kitchen.

The center offers workforce-training space to prepare adults for employment in the food service industry. The facility also has increased storage to accept more food donations.

It has a multi-purpose room that will serve as a chapel and for client/community events. The facility also offers a family dining room and additional restrooms

“This project was long overdue and will have a tremendous impact on the people we serve for decades to come,” Rescue Mission CEO Dan Sieburg said in the release. “Our new food service center will allow us to meet the growing need in the community, and will ensure those we serve will continue to be treated with dignity and respect.”

The food service center bears the name of Clarence L. Jordan, a longtime Rescue Mission executive director and honorary board member, who passed away in September 2018.

The Rescue Mission now serves up to 700 meals a day to men, women, and children in need. In 2018, it served nearly 200,000 meals at its campus in Syracuse.

The Rescue Mission Alliance is working to end homelessness and hunger across upstate New York, with operations in Syracuse, Auburn, Ithaca, and Binghamton.

Contact Reinhardt at ereinhardt@cnybj.com