By Journalist Dr. Ms. Jones
NEWBURGH – Food, music, free clothing, health resources, and community organizations filled the grounds of Newburgh Tabernacle on Sunday, August 9th, as the church hosted its Community Care & Family Day, an event designed to introduce residents to resources while strengthening the church’s connection to its surrounding neighborhood.
The celebration followed a community cleanup that extended several blocks around the church. Church members and volunteers rolled up their sleeves to remove trash and help beautify the neighborhood, demonstrating that the congregation’s outreach extends beyond the walls of the church. Pastor Elis Joseph of Newburgh Tabernacle was among those doing the work.
“We had over a couple blocks of cleanup area. I did the cleaning too,” Joseph said. “We went about four blocks down and up and all around. People were asking what we were doing, and we told them that it’s a church, Newburgh Tabernacle, and we are making ourselves visible in the community. We are working with our residents in the community, and they were happy. They were excited.”
The cleanup was supported through the City of Newburgh’s Love Your Block initiative, which provides small grants and resources for residents and organizations seeking to improve their neighborhoods.
Nick Edward, Neighborhood Stabilization Coordinator for the City of Newburgh, explained that the initiative is supported by funding connected to the New York State Attorney General’s Office.
“The City of Newburgh has been awarded a Cities RISE grant through the Attorney General’s Office,” Edward said. “It’s really for quality of life, neighborhood improvements, bettering and stabilizing neighborhoods and communities.”
Edward said Newburgh has been participating in Love Your Block community cleanups for approximately six years. Rather than large grants, the program provides smaller amounts that allow neighborhood groups to make tangible improvements.
“They’re mini grants, so they’re not these big extravagant grants,” Edward explained. “They’re just mini grants for tenant organizations, resident associations, blocks, hoods, whatever, to clean up your area.”
Participating groups can also receive a dumpster, with the City covering associated container and dumping fees. Edward said approximately $100 to $200 may additionally be available for refreshments, drinks, cleaning supplies, and gloves.
After the work came an opportunity to celebrate. Community Care & Family Day featured food, music, vendor tables, and free clothing for residents. For Joseph, however, the gathering also served another purpose: making sure residents know Newburgh Tabernacle is there when they need assistance.
“The goal of this event is to let the community know that there’s a church here. We’ve been here for four decades giving out food every Sunday, and some people didn’t know that. That’s four decades—a long time,” said Joseph, who wants residents to come to the church on Sundays for food and they can also receive clothing. “We want them to know that we can give out clothes. We are here to help the community.”
Vendor and informational tables expanded that mission by connecting visitors with services ranging from healthy eating education to disability advocacy and reentry assistance. Errick Smith, co-owner of Juice for Health, offered samples of beet juice, cucumber water and sorrel while encouraging residents to think more carefully about what they consume.
“Our mission is to introduce people to healthy cooking, healthy eating,” Smith said, pointing to concerns about processed foods and chronic conditions such as diabetes, high blood pressure, and heart disease. His goal, he said, is showing people that food can be “good tasting and nutritious at the same time.”
Health education was also the focus of Pastor Kyran Leo John, Associate Health Director of the Northeastern Conference of Seventh-day Adventists. His table provided educational resources.
“My table is about giving folks access to resources. It’s like feeding someone for a day, or teaching them to feed themselves for a lifetime,” said John who conducts workshops and training sessions, but said printed and other educational resources allow people to continue learning independently. “I do workshops and training, half an hour, an hour. But giving them this resource, it teaches them way beyond what I can teach them.”
Debby Rowland, Assistant Diversion Manager of Independent Living, used the Family Day to increase awareness about services available to people with disabilities.
“Our mission is that we are a consumer-directed, cross-disability advocacy and service organization dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for individuals with disabilities,” Rowland said as she explained that Independent Living offers programs that can assist people in areas including behavioral health, housing and employment, and has offices in Newburgh, Middletown and Monticello. “Today we’re just trying to promote what we do, to have the population of individuals learn about Independent Living and all of our programs and how we can help them.”
Karla Alcantara, a Bilingual Transitional Planner with Osborne, provided another type of community resource. Osborne assists people impacted by the criminal justice system, including formerly incarcerated individuals and their loved ones. She discussed the organization’s Reentry Works program as well as its Elder Reentry Initiative. She explained that transitional planning can begin months before an individual’s release and may include assistance identifying housing and transportation solutions and providing other important contacts and resources.
“We typically assist individuals who are either themselves impacted, or whose loved ones are impacted, by the criminal justice system,” Alcantara said.
Together, the organizations represented the broader message behind Community Care & Family Day: improving a neighborhood can mean cleaning its streets, feeding families, sharing clothing, promoting healthier lifestyles, and connecting people with services that can improve their lives. For Newburgh Tabernacle, Sunday was also an opportunity to remind its neighbors that the church intends to remain an active presence in the community. And Joseph is already thinking about what comes next.
“For next year, we want to do the same thing,” he said, “but we want to do it on a bigger scale.”
