Watch the video below for a closer look at Breakfast Club.
Video Credit: Darrell Camp
Hot breakfast is back at FOCUS Breakfast Club, with more than 400 meals served during our first week of the winter program. As the weather turns colder, a warm meal and a welcoming place to gather offer nourishment, comfort, and connection for our neighbors.
Winter Breakfast Club (October - April) provides a hot meal and a bag lunch. The breakfast usually consists of an omelet, toast, a meat side of turkey sausage, chicken patty, bacon and hash brown. Breakfast also includes fresh fruit (apples, bananas, or oranges) yogurt, grits or oatmeal, milk, juices, coffee, and tea. All Breakfast Club bagged lunches consist of sandwiches, vegetables, fruits, milk, juice, and snacks.
Funding for the FOCUS Breakfast Club Program comes from New York State, member church donations, and individual donations. Food is purchased from the Regional Food Bank of Northeastern NY and local suppliers. More than 18,590 meals were served through our breakfast programs last year.
During our opening week, we also welcomed Albany Mayor Dorcey Applyrs, accompanied by Anne Pitlyk, Constituent Services Assistant. Rev. Joe Paperone, who represents the National Union of the Homeless, arranged the visit.
This was not the Mayor’s first visit to Breakfast Club. We appreciate her continued advocacy for people experiencing homelessness and for affordable housing, and her interest in the work happening here at FOCUS.
Breakfast Club is about more than a meal. It is a place where neighbors are welcomed with dignity and care, and where a familiar face or a conversation over breakfast can make a difference.