Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Community Events topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Schenectady Shares named grand marshal for 2025 Schenectady County holiday parade; county highlights food drive amid SNAP cuts
Summary
Schenectady County announced Schenectady Shares as the grand marshal for the 2025 holiday parade set for Saturday, Nov. 22, and launched a countywide food drive through October as local leaders warned of rising food insecurity tied to recent SNAP and USDA changes.
Schenectady Shares will serve as grand marshal of the 2025 Schenectady County holiday parade on Saturday, Nov. 22, county officials announced at a Sept. press event at Proctors' GE Theater in downtown Schenectady.
The announcement came with a countywide appeal to support local food pantries: donations of nonperishable food and hygiene items will be collected beginning immediately through October at more than 70 locations, including all nine Schenectady County Public Library branches and the county office building. County officials also opened parade registration for community groups, with an application deadline of Oct. 31.
The county framed the parade recognition as part of a broader effort to raise awareness about food insecurity. Jackie Klute, executive director of Schenectady Shares, said the group's marshal honor recognizes “every volunteer and organization working tirelessly to ensure no 1 in our community goes hungry.” Klute cited local and national data, saying Schenectady County has a food insecurity rate of 10.3% and that recent federal changes have reduced available food supplies and benefits.
Klute told attendees that “the USDA has suspended 200 tractor trailers of food, roughly 8,000,000 pounds of produce, dairy, and protein that was destined for the regional food bank this year,” and noted an analysis projecting 2,400,000 fewer Americans will receive federal food benefits monthly. She said families who still receive SNAP benefits could lose between $72 and $231 per month.
County Chairman Gary Hughes described the parade as “one of our community's most cherished traditions,” and Mayor Gary McCarthy said the event draws attendees from across the region and complements other local festivals and attractions. Everett Patterson, vice president of commercial and Medicaid sales for MVP Healthcare, which is the parade presenting sponsor, said MVP is “proud to call Schenectady home” and praised Schenectady Shares for connecting pantries with resources that improve community health.
Proctors Collaborative will again host a sensory-friendly space inside the GE Theater, and for 2025 that space will include a designated area for veterans, Jean Leonard, president of Proctors Collaborative, said at the event. County organizers said the parade will again include a veterans division placed just behind the grand marshal.
Organizers listed partner food providers and pantries that will participate in the parade or receive support from the drive; among those named were Schenectady City School District, The City Mission Sycamore Collaborative, Bread of Life, Schenectady Street Soldiers, Guyanese Community Center Food Pantry, Bethesda House, Salvation Army, SUNY Schenectady, Bremen Hall Food Pantry, Our Lady of Fatima Food Pantry, Scotia-Glenville Food Pantry, Grace and Mercy Church, The Daily Bread Food Pantry at St. Luke's, Mount Pleasant YWCA and Young Parents United.
The county asked community groups to register online through its upgraded portal, and encouraged county residents to drop off donations at the stated collection points or visit the Schenectady County website for the full list of locations and additional parade details.
