The 2,200-square-foot facility, to be known as the Barn at Black Creek, would begin as a three-season space with the possibility of expanding to a year-round business on the 31-acre property.

“My idea was, a lot of love and caring is going to go into this closet, and a lot of smiles and happiness is going to come out. That’s The Caring Closet,” said Amanda Beedle. 

Craig Sargent, Altamont Reformed Church

Margaret and Mary Ewart, Altamont

Iris Broyde, Guilderland

Keith J. Christiansen, Guilderland

Timothy J. Albright, Meadowdale

Nellie Goutos, Altamont

Fran Porter, Altamont

“Even before the pandemic, an alarming number of young people struggled with feelings of helplessness, depression, and thoughts of suicide — and rates have increased over the past decade,” says the United States Surgeon General in an advisory on “the urgent need to address the nation’s youth mental health crisis.”