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St. Luke's Mission of Mercy 'Build Promise' closes in on goal

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Sat, Apr 16th 2022 01:30 pm

Facility for Buffalo’s east side gets major donation; secures land

The founder of an east side mission has announced a major step forward for her new care and opportunity facility.

Amy Betros, director of St. Luke’s Mission of Mercy, has plans for a 21,000-square-foot building that will serve the neediest people in Western New York using vacant parcels of land across from the mission campus at 325 Walden Ave. “Build Promise” answers the need that the organization has identified for “services that don’t exist for marginalized people from east side neighborhoods.”

Betros said, “We need this facility and scope of services to break the cycles of poverty, addiction, and homelessness, while providing a path to a better future for the needy of our immediate area.”

A pair of recent developments advances the “Build Promise” project closer to breaking ground:

√ The City of Buffalo has cleared the land transfer at the corner of Sycamore and Miller for the facility. The Buffalo Common Council approved a land development agreement recently for the purchase of the 16 parcels of long-vacant land for the full assessed value of $29,600.

√ The William H. Greene III family of Orchard Park donated $1 million to “Build Promise.” The campaign’s chairman, Kathleen Mattar, heralded the news that Mrs. Jane Greene has come forth with the largest single contribution that “Build Promise” has received to-date.

“We are so grateful for the outstanding generosity of Jane Greene and her family to our transformational project for the underprivileged population of Buffalo – it gets us ever closer to putting a shovel in the ground!” Mattar said.

The donation also honors the memory of William H. Greene III, Jane’s husband, who passed away in July of 2021.

Mattar has revealed the “Build Promise” facility has more than $2.5 million donated toward the approximately $6.0 million goal. “The need continues to grow, so there’s much more to do to help the neediest among us.”

The 21,000-square-foot facility will allow for “Code Blue” accommodations for men of the community, and provide ancillary services to the neighborhood for personal advancement. This includes:

√ A Care and Opportunity Center, which will provide programs and health resources.

√ Partnerships with other community agencies addressing basic needs such as health care, mental health and legal services.

√ A larger, more modern industrial kitchen – serving the facility as well as nearby St. Luke’s, which currently serves 600 people two meals a day.

√ An option for emergency shelter for Erie County in situations like “Code Blue” that can shelter up to 170 each night.

Betros said she sees “Build Promise” as a watershed moment for her part of the city: “After nearly 30 years serving the neediest, I understand that food and shelter are a start, but you have to give each person access to opportunities to change their lives. ‘Build Promise’s’ partnership model brings established, efficient programs to the people where they are, and then there’s life-long change.”

Anyone wishing to get involved with “Build Promise” can contact Mattar at 716-867-1243. Send donations or correspondence to:

Build Promise Campaign

PO Box 448

Buffalo, NY 14215

Build Promise is a 501(c)3 not-for-profit.

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