Mission Center Outreach is staffed by more than 40 volunteers, who in 2024 logged more than 5,000 hours of service. That includes responding to 35 emergency calls and caring for nearly 40 homeless neighbors, for a total of more than 6,000 individuals, representing 2,500 households. Total food distribution in 2024 was more than 48,000 lbs., including 10,000 lbs. of fresh produce.

Ascension Holy Trinity Mission Center Outreach began in late 2012 with a plan for a simple coat drive to help clothe our vulnerable neighbors. In 2013 that initiative quickly expanded to include an all-volunteer program that now features 2 food pantries (Highland and West Park) and a free clothing-personal care initiative, Teri’s Place (Highland). Mission Center Outreach is Ascension Holy Trinity Parish’s mission in our community: to feed and care for our neighbors.

In 2014, our Holy Trinity Food Pantry in Highland became a member agency of the Regional Food Bank of Northeastern New York and is partially funded by this institution. Ascension Food Pantry, West Park, established in late 2013, is not a member agency. All AHT Mission Center Outreach programs depend on grants and donations, both monetary and material, to sustain our work.

Mission Center food pantries are 24/7 food emergency programs and equal opportunity providers. Our food distribution method is guest choice; we don’t distribute prepackaged boxes of the same foods to each guest. Visitors can choose foods that meet their specific needs and preferences in amounts appropriate for their household size. This ensures food justice, respects the dignity of each guest, and reduces food waste.

In addition to our pantries and Teri’s Place, the AHT Mission Center offers several other programs that serve our community. They include  Accessible Learning Program, Emergency Baskets, Carrying Hope Forward, and Agape. Please contact us for information.

Partnerships and collaborations with community agencies, businesses, other faith-based organizations, and individuals help sustain our work through donations of time, talent, and financial support. We are grateful for their generosity and for the opportunity to work together on behalf of our neighbors to help create a healthier, more welcoming community,

AHT Mission Center Outreach strives to nurture a beloved community where everyone belongs; where no one is forgotten; and where we care for one another. Our perspective is one of abundance, not scarcity. The AHT Mission Center is grounded in compassion and gratitude. Our values include justice, hospitality, and service. Those values drive our mission to “feed the hungry and care for our neighbors—all of them.”    They also move us closer to our vision of a welcoming community where everyone belongs and where  access to sufficient food, dignity, and unconditional love is a basic human right.