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Jesus said, "The poor will always be with you." That's true even in the middle of track season in Saratoga Springs, where horse racing brings thousands of tourists into town each summer.

The Saratoga County Economic Opportunity Council has been helping low-income families and other individuals in need for over 30 years. Two of their biggest programs are the largest food pantry in the area - averaging 253 customers a month in 2008 - and a soup kitchen, which has served dinner to almost 12,000 people this year.

Despite its success, however, the EOC still helps out other pantries and organizations in the area.

"We sort of play host," explained executive director Julie Hoxsie. "We get the food, then call other agencies to pick it up and deliver it to other pantries."

The Saratoga County EOC gets the majority of its goods from the Regional Food Bank, but also receives contributions from area churches, including St. Peter's and St. Clement's in Saratoga.

"Through their food pantry and their lunch program, [the EOC runs] a wonderful program for the community of Saratoga," said Rev. Dominic Ingemie, pastor of St. Peter's.

The addition of low-income backstretch workers from the track might indicate that the numbers of visitors to the food pantry would spike at this time of year, but last August only ranked third for use of the pantry. 

Instead, Ms. Hoxsie and community services program director Lillian McCarthy pointed to the soup kitchen as the EOC's most popular program.

"The individuals that live at the track don't have proper cooking facilities," explained Ms. McCarthy. "A lot of them come to the soup kitchen."

"They're not allowed to cook for fire safety," added Ms. Hoxsie, noting that the soup kitchen is also a familiar haven for individuals who've been coming there for years.

The soup kitchen saw its highest numbers in July 2008, when it served close to 2,600 individuals, as opposed to the near 2,300 people served in November. It's open weekdays from 4:30-6 p.m. at the Presbyterian New England Congregational UCC Church in Saratoga, but continues serving long after that.

"A lot of [track workers] will take some bread or salad home with them," Ms. McCarthy noted.

The Saratoga County EOC also hosts a number of other programs, including a summer lunch program; a Women, Infants and Children (WIC) nutrition program; and a program that helps low-income families reduce their energy bills. 

"We provide a safety net in a variety of ways," said Ms. Hoxsie. "Each program helps differently."[[In-content Ad]]

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