Fort Drum Thrift Shop awards $26K
to local non-profit organizations, students
FORT DRUM, N.Y. (June 10, 2024) – The Fort Drum Thrift Shop has awarded $26,377 in community grants and scholarships to seven local non-profit organizations and five area high school seniors and college students.
The $11,377 in grants will help fund initiatives that serve the community both on and off Fort Drum and the $15,000 in scholarships will support military-connected students continuing their education after high school.
"Community Action Planning Council of Jefferson County is thrilled to have been awarded a Fort Drum Thrift Store Grant award, as this funding will help provide food, fresh fruits and vegetables, and hygiene supplies to our neighbors on Fort Drum and military members throughout Jefferson County,” said Caroline Feasler, Family Center director. “We are honored to support the military community as they serve and support all of us.”
Other local grant recipients include Leah’s Baskets, Carthage Crusaders Baseball, Fort Drum Sergeants Major Association, Lewis County Pride, Carthage Middle and High School cross country teams, and Literacy of Northern New York.
“We will use the funds to purchase four laptop computers, software, and headphones for our English as a Second Language classes at Fort Drum.” said M. Cecilia Brock, executive director of Literacy of Northern New York, which received a $2,127 community grant. “We could not purchase this technology without the generous support from the Fort Drum Thrift Shop and its board of directors.”
In addition to the grants, the thrift shop awarded $15,000 in scholarships. Five students were selected out of 24 applicants, and each received $3,000 for their continuing education. Recipients are seniors Shay Sinitiere and Grant Gillman, Carthage High School; Delanie Peck, LaFargeville Central School, and Jasmin Acevedo, Indian River High School, and Michael Frimpong, a student at University at Buffalo.
A non-profit itself, the thrift shop receives donations and resells items to support its mission to enhance the quality of life for Soldiers, their families, and the local community.
In addition to funneling earnings into community grants and scholarships, the thrift shop purchases high-need items for its small in-store food bank; sponsors free coats and winter gear giveaways; provides non-monetary grants for clothing, household or baby items for those in need, such as for military families who may have lost or damaged household goods during their move to the area; and more.
“It was a record year of giving for the thrift shop, and we are grateful for the hard work our employees and volunteers devote to our organization,” said Jasmine Carpena, Fort Drum Thrift Shop manager. “We look forward to having another successful year ahead serving our community.”
For more information about the Fort Drum Thrift Shop’s mission, donations, and other services, visit https://fortdrumthriftshop.com.
From left, representatives from Carthage Crusaders Baseball, Fort Drum Sergeants Major Association, Lewis County Pride, and Literacy of Northern New York received their Community Grants at a May 19 ceremony co-hosted by the Fort Drum Thrift Shop Board of Directors and North Country Spouses Club. Not pictured: representatives from Community Action Planning Council of Jefferson County, Leah’s Baskets, and Carthage MS and HS Cross Country. (Photo by Symphony Lefao)