North East Community Center Rewarded by Enthusiastic Donors

Nearly 300 people gathered at an event in Pine Plains on Sunday and collectively raised more than half a million dollars for charity. 

The North East Community Center, a nonprofit community development organization based in Millerton, held its annual Chef and Farmer Brunch fundraising event on July 21 under a tent on the back lawn of the former Lia’s Mountain View Restaurant. “I was nervous about having to raise the amount of money we need this year,” said NECC Executive Director Christine Sergent, citing the upcoming November elections as competition for fundraising.

It was the first event at the facility now known as Mountain View and the number of tickets had to be capped to make the event manageable, said Sergent. Nevertheless, she was not disappointed. 

As part of her remarks to the group, Sergent asked for a show of hands from those who had not previously attended a Chef and Farmer Brunch. “About 30% of the audience raised their hands,” she said.

Funds flowed in several ways: Ticket sales and sponsorships, a silent auction, a live auction of  three bundles of goodies and simple donations. The last contributed mightily to the final total, spurred by the dynamism of auctioneer Swett, who effectively coaxed attendees to make substantial donations. 

Sergent said NECC’s overall annual budget is $3.2 million, with about 60% of the funding coming from grants and about 20% from services the organization gets reimbursed for. This leaves another 20%, amounting to $620,000 this year, to be raised from individual donations. The proceeds from this summer’s Chef and Farmer Brunch were “well over $500,000,” she said, substantially more than the $432,000 raised at last year’s brunch.

Several local restaurants assisted in making the brunch a culinary success. Champetre of Pine Plains, The Farmer’s Wife of Ancramdale, Willa of Millerton, Stonewood Farm of Millbrook, The Baker’s Wife of Pawling, and Troutbeck of Amenia all contributed to the menu offerings. Jonathan Fritz accompanied the attendees on the acoustic guitar.

The NECC, officially known as the Northeast Community Council Inc., was established in the winter of 1988 through a North East town statute spearheaded by Wendy Curtis and Sam Busselle. It was created to address the lack of social support services for residents of Millerton and North East, who were far from the county services located in Poughkeepsie. NECC became a New York nonprofit in 1990 and received federal recognition as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit in 1994.

NECC is based in Millerton and employs more than 12 full-time and 14 part-time staff members. Sergent took over as executive director in 2018 and has successfully expanded the scope of programs offered not only to the Town of North East but also to the nearby towns of Amenia, Pine Plains, Stanford, Dover, and Washington.

The organization’s programs reach hundreds of families and individuals in their service area. Their Food and Supply Pantry is a growing program helping folks in need, and NECC also organizes the weekly farmer’s market that has become a staple in Millerton. NECC supplies food regularly to Willow Roots and the Food Pantry in Pine Plains and its transportation program provides free service to seniors and needy families needing rides to medical appointments or grocery shopping, since Millerton lacks a grocery store. Sergent said the timing of the fundraiser couldn’t have been better as NECC’s cargo van recently ran its last mile and needs to be replaced.

Integrating people into the workforce is also a key role for NECC. Their Teen Team Program places youths in paid positions with local businesses, and their School-to-Work program helps high school graduates identify career paths. Meeting the needs of even younger kids, NECC also operates a licensed day care center. To accomplish their ambitious menu of programs also depend on a large contingent of volunteers to help complete their connection to the community.

Summing up the impact of this year’s Chef and Farmer Brunch, Sergent said that the attendees “just made magic happen.”

Pine Plains Food Locker services are available at the Methodist Church Pine Plains, on the 2nd Saturday of each month at 10 a.m. Eligible clients must live in the Pine Plains School District.