Sycamore Collaborative

We’re truly grateful for the opportunities to enhance food access together and further support our community 🧡

The Sycamore Collaborative was recently awarded $2,500 to support the purchase of fresh produce and shelf-stable items for those facing food insecurity. A heartfelt thank you to the Schenectady County Connects Youth Commission for the generous grant and for hosting a lovely award ceremony!

Warmly welcoming a new season, brighter days, and our longest day of the year ☀️✨

We’ll have the longest period of daylight today as it’s the Summer Solstice, which also marks the halfway point of the growing season, or midsummer. For millennia, throughout the hemisphere, people have observed this astronomical event with celebration and admiration. From embracing the sun and rejoicing in dance, the summer solstice brings communities together to celebrate the abundance, strength, and hope that arise from shared efforts and collaboration among humanity and nature.

The Sycamore Collaborative wishes to all a joyful and blessed summer! We hope the light brings clarity for goodness, and its warmth is an invitation to togetherness.

📸 A stunning sunset over the Mohawk River. Photo taken by David Giacalone, June 2020

Celebrating freedom and honoring resilience today, tomorrow, and always.

Juneteenth, also known as Freedom Day, holds deep significance as it marks the moment when all enslaved individuals in the United States were finally freed. It was on June 19, 1865, that the news of freedom reached over 250,000 people when Union troops arrived in Galveston Bay, Texas. This day became known as "Juneteenth," commemorating the end of oppression but also serving as a powerful reminder of the ongoing fight for freedom and dignity that still resonates today.

Sycamore Collaborative joins in celebrating freedom, welcoming this commemoration with hope that it will encourage our community’s work. May all people of good faith seize the moment to support life, liberty, and freedom for all, making our community, and the world, a better place for all. Happy Juneteenth!

Just a reminder that we are closed in observance of Juneteenth, with programs and services resuming Monday, June 22.

Ready to support your community all summer long? 💛🥪🤝

When you volunteer with Summer Meals, you’re also joining a commitment that has strengthened our community for over 30 years. You can build up even more support by helping serve free lunches this summer and ensuring no child in our community goes without food.

Become a volunteer today! To get started or for questions,
📧 [email protected]
📲 518-374-2683 x120

What to know for June 2026‼️

🛒 Mass distribution is outside our food pantry at 839 Albany St. If you’re walking, please bring your own grocery bags, and no ID is required.

🩺 Stop by our Community Hub at 837 Albany St for the free clinic. No appointment is needed.

👗 Pearl's Closet is a seasonal service, closed for rain or bad weather. All items are free!

You are invited 💛🤸☀️

We want community organizations to join us at our 2026 Summer Meals Kickoff to help spread cheer and support! Hosting a table to share information about services and programs is a great way to connect with your community. Plus, bringing a fun activity or game will really boost your engagement and the festivities!

To host a table at this year’s Summer Meals Kickoff, please contact
📧 [email protected]
📲 518-374-2683 x107

📸 Pictured are some of the wonderful community organizations that joined us for our 2025 Summer Meals Kickoff event!

Proudly celebrating the many ways people express love and stay true to themselves 🧡🏳️‍🌈

June is Pride Month, an important and joyful time dedicated to uplifting LGBTQ+ individuals. Many will gather to celebrate love, support one another, and create safe spaces where all can freely express themselves. It’s also a time to reaffirm our commitment by listening to the stories of those marginalized because of their identities, so we can look ahead together toward equity, justice, and belonging for everyone.

Sycamore Collaborative welcomes Pride Month with a commitment to pursue peace, love, and equality for all. May we all find ways to be freely and fully everything we know we are, as people and as a community. Happy Pride!

📸 Pictured is Gilbert Baker (retrieved from IN Magazine), the designer behind the original Pride Flag. In 1978, Harvey Milk asked artist Gilbert Baker to create a gay pride symbol. After Milk's assassination, the rainbow flag became popular. Manufacturing issues led to the removal of the hot pink stripe, and Baker removed the turquoise stripe as a design choice. The six-color flag has represented the community for over 40 years and remains a common LGBTQ+ symbol.

Support sustainability and STOP waste from ending up in landfills all summer long 🛑🍌💚

Our dedicated staff and volunteers have already reduced organic waste at the food pantry to an astonishing 8%. With your help, we can go further and lower that number by the end of this summer!

Waste diversion sessions: now weekly on TUESDAYS
⏰ 10:30 am to 12 pm
📍 Our food pantry, 839 Albany St

For more information on this special, sustainable work and to join,
🔗 https://sycamorecollab.org/your-farms
📧 [email protected]
📲 518-374-2683 x118