MASSENA — A $10,000 Northern New York Community Foundation grant will help the Salvation Army of Massena complete a new commercial kitchen at its Victory Road facility to alleviate food insecurity in the greater Massena area.

The Community Foundation’s Board of Directors approved the grant award during its March 26 meeting.

“Over the past year, we have seen more households new to us coming to access our services, including our meal programs and case management,” Salvation Army of Massena Officer in Charge Lt. Nicholas White said. “With no community meal program or soup kitchen in Massena, we plan to expand our services and create a commercial grade kitchen to accommodate this need.”

The Salvation Army has been a critical partner in the Massena community to assist and provide support to families experiencing food insecurity. The Massena Central School District relies on the local Salvation Army to provide resources and support for district families experiencing hard times.

“We know that many continue to face challenges as they relate to critical and basic needs. As a donor-supported community organization, we see this as a way to partner with an organization that is already doing important work to help address these issues,” said Rande S. Richardson, Community Foundation executive director. “As more donors are approaching us wanting to maximize their impact locally, together, we are able to provide larger grants in St. Lawrence County for projects such as this.”

The new kitchen will allow the organization to offer clients at least three hot meals each week, improve programming, and help establish a job training program for people seeking employment in the local food service and hospitality industries. It is also projected to increase the number of families and individuals served each week by up to 150 and enhance after-school and summer youth programs.

The Salvation Army of Massena is working to thoughtfully address critical needs in two towns and surrounding communities. In the past year, the organization has served more than 3,500 individuals through its emergency food service program at its Victory Road facility and through its Mobile Mission Center that travels to six locations in the county.

The nonprofit Feeding America reports that 14.2 percent of St. Lawrence County residents — or 15,430 people — are food insecure. Child food insecurity in the county is 17.7 percent with 18,808 children considered food insecure. Some 17.9 percent of county residents live below the federal poverty line and 44 percent are Asset Limited, Income Constrained Employed, making almost half of the county ineligible for many federal relief programs.

Nationally, 11.8 of U.S. adults and 16.1 percent of children are classified as food insecure, while 9.6 percent of adults in New York state and 14.6 percent of the state’s children are food insecure.

Soup kitchen and food pantries are often the only source of free, healthy, and nutritious food in a community. Consumers of the services of the Salvation Army have other needs met as well. While they visit for food assistance, they may also receive education and social interactions.

The Community Foundation also provides support annually to organizations that operate in partnership with the Food Bank of Central New York, Syracuse, including several in St. Lawrence County.

According to the Food Bank of Central New York, one in eight people in Northern and Central New York are classified as “food insecure.” Each dollar local food pantries and soup kitchens spend with the Food Bank can provide enough food for three meals.