The Open Door

Dedicated to serving the hunger needs of our Greater Glen Falls Community.

The Open Door is a 501(c)(3), non-profit organization. The Mission’s legal, tax-exempt name is Servants of the Word; it legally does business as The Open Door.

History

The Open Door Mission started out of Ernie Blanchette’s concern for having a shelter in Glens Falls. After a feasibility study, it was determined that a soup kitchen was of more immediate need. The Open Door served its first 13 hot meals from an RV in Peter Shabat’s parking lot off of South Street in Glens Falls, NY, on September 5, 1991. When it became too cold to serve outdoors, Peter Mastrangelo (representing Glens Falls National Bank) offered us the bank’s “community room,” and later, a store front on South Street. In October of 1993, we were offered an incredible opportunity to move to 24 South Street, and from there to our current location at 47 Lawrence Street in 2010.

The Open Door is a Christian ministry dedicated to reaching out and serving needs of the poor and homeless of our community. One major way we accomplish this is through the daily provision of hot, nutritious meals served in a friendly, welcoming environment. We offer this care to all people, regardless of race, gender, sexual orientation, national origin, creed, or religion.

The Open Door program began by serving a meal once a week. From there, the program has expanded to a six day operation, recently serving more than 1600 meals each month-including on-site meals. In a year, our emergency food pantry provides 20,000 meals to 50 families, as well as distributing thousands of lbs. of gleaned and other food items to many local groups/agencies.

Currently, The Open Door functions with a very small staff. All other staffing is accomplished by means of volunteers (500+) representing many local businesses, agencies and churches. In addition to hot meals and emergency food support, the program provides guests with encouragement for daily living, including medical screenings, haircuts, an informal mentoring program, and support to community-based substance abuse. Information referral and advocacy are regularly provided.

The Open Door also partners with 6 local schools to provide weekend lunches for 182 identified "at risk" students in local schools, in cooperation with school administration and the PTA organization. All services and programs are provided free of charge.

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