Capital Region nonprofits announce merger plans
Two nonprofit organizations based in the Capital Region have announced their plans to merge in the near future, one located in Albany, and one based in Rensselaer County. The Unity House of Troy is set to merge with the South End Children's Cafe.
The South End Children's Cafe is a nonprofit organization who fights for food security in the Albany area. Unity House of Troy is a leading nonprofit organization in human services.
Almost 10 years ago, Tracie Killar started serving meals in a South End church. She began by serving meals to about 15 children inside a small kitchen in the church. In the present the organization has expanded to a new location on Rensselaer Street in Albany and has served more than 300,000 meals throughout its history and programs.
There's been increasing pressure on small nonprofit organizations, which led to the idea of these two orgs merging. Both agencies decided it'd be beneficial to fuse the South End Children's Cafe program with the administrative structure of Unity House.
South End Children's Cafe Executive Director Tracie Killar had this to say on the merger.
"This merger will alleviate some of the administrative burdens of managing and operating the Children’s cafe, so the focus remains on serving children through our enrichment programs. This opportunity with Unity House will expand our reach in the Capital Region, one meal at a time. We look forward to working with the organization in this new capacity.”
The Cafe won't change its mission, vision, operations, or staff, it's seen as an opportunity to focus on providing the support and services to the community like they have been.
