AMENIA UNION — The Rev. A.J. Stack had no sooner stepped up to the pulpit at his new home at St. Thomas Episcopal Church in Amenia Union, when the church and its well known food pantry were hit by a tsunami of hungry residents needing help to deal with food insecurity during the coronavirus pandemic that has shut down much of the state.
Following his Feb. 26, Ash Wednesday debut, the numbers at the Food of Life/Comida de Vida Food Pantry skyrocketed, starting on March 20, rising 107% to 374 clients by April 10, with higher numbers expected yet to come.
Rather than despairing, Stack instead marveled at the response of the church and the community.
“The phone started to ring,” he said, as “word of mouth” brought calls from individuals and organizations “all over the place” wanting to volunteer to work or to help raise much needed funds.
He said new volunteers, who can sign up on the church’s website, are needed because the pantry has quickly evolved from one where individuals pick the items most appropriate to their needs to a system where food is pre-bagged so it can be safely distributed while maintaining social distancing.
With neither residential nor financial requirements and no questions asked, those in need are welcome to come weekly each Friday from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. The ballooning needs have led to a budget shortfall as the pantry’s purchase of food from the North East Regional Food Bank has risen from 4,000 pounds to what Stack estimates will be a minimum of 10,000 pounds for April alone.
“It became very clear very quickly that most of our time was going to be spent making sure that we were doing everything we could to increase our ability to serve folks through the pantry,” he said. “There are so many more people who are hurting now. That’s where we have to focus our energy.”
Part of that focus means this former social worker from rural Ohio who “likes to have dirt under his nails” while working in the volunteer church garden that fills the pantry’s cooler, also likes knowing the work will benefit others. That’s what makes him an ideal match for St. Thomas and the pantry on which so many rely on so heavily.
“One of the things that is most heartening right now is that this is a perfect opportunity for folks to rediscover how important their community is for them,” he said. “At a time when we can’t even actually be in close proximity to each other, this is a time when community means more than ever.”
That is certainly important as Stack, who said he received “the warmest welcome he’d ever seen upon arriving… [what feels] like a century ago,” takes on critical responsibilities with his husband, Steven Huang, a conductor who is completing his work as a professor of music at Ohio University. The couple has two adopted sons, Brodyn, 7, and Brandon, 3.
While thoroughly appreciating the generosity donors have shown so far, Stack is hoping more will step up to the plate at www.stthomasamenia.com/donate-html so the growing requirements can be met.
And on Wednesday, April 22, the pantry received what church Warden Jim Wright called an “unprecedented delivery of over 2,000 pounds of canned goods, and cereal and rice and beans — anything you can imagine.” The large donation was the result of a food drive by the Wassaic Fire Company.
Anyone who needs food but is not able to come to the pantry at 40 Leedsvile Road in Amenia Union should call the church at 845-373-9161.
To find a list of additional food pantry resources in the region, go to www.tricornernews.com.
Long-term town employees were recognized at the Town Board meeting on Thursday, June 12. Honorees pictured with Town Supervisor Leo Blackman, were Judy Carlson, Office Manager at the Town Garage, center, for her 35 years of service to the town and Megan Chamberlin, current Highway Superintendent, for 20 years.
AMENIA — Acknowledging the many years of service accumulated by town employees, the Town Board paused to honor that service at its meeting on Thursday, June 12.
“Thank you for making a difference,” said Town Supervisor Leo Blackman in recognizing Judy Carlson, Office Manager at the town garage, for her 35 years of service.
“Megan’s job is not an easy one,” Blackman said, honoring Megan Chamberlin, current Highway Superintendent who has served the town for 20 years.
Also among those honored was Town Clerk Dawn Marie Klingner for 20 years of service as Court Clerk.
Maureen Moore, Court Clerk, was also honored in absentia for her 20 years of town service.
In anticipation of the celebration of the 250th anniversary of the start of the American Revolution in 2026, new historic markers are appearing at each of the local cemeteries where Revolutionary War veterans are buried. Unveiling the new marker at Amenia Union Cemetery on Saturday, June 21, were left to right, Town Historian Betsy Strauss, Jim Middlebrook representing the regional chapter of the Sons of the American Revolution, and Gail Seymour, President of the Union Cemetery Association.
AMENIA — One by one, new historic markers are appearing at local cemeteries where Revolutionary War dead are buried. On Saturday, June 21, community members gathered to see a new marker unveiled at Amenia Union Cemetery on Leedsville Road.
A tent provided welcome shade for the attendees and refreshments as about 30 residents gathered for the unveiling and to share stories of local history with one another.
As with the first historic market installation at the Old Amenia Burying Ground, held in April, Amenia Union Cemetery graves of Revolutionary War veterans had been marked with American flags in advance.
Jim Middlebrook, representing the Columbia Mid-Hudson chapter of the Sons of the American Revolution, attended along with other members of his chapter. Speaking before the unveiling, Middlebrook said that the historic marker project had begun in August 2024, and included a detailed process to certify the names on the graves.
Middlebrook described the work of the William C. Pomeroy Foundation of Syracuse whose mission is to promote “pride of place” by providing grants in support of installing historic markers and plaques nationwide to honor patriots for their service. Active now in seven or eight states, Middlebrook said, the foundation will soon add Connecticut and Massachusetts to the list.
The new Amenia Union marker honors “at least five veterans of the American Revolution interred between 1787 and 1810,” although Town Historian Betsy Strauss lists six veterans buried in the cemetery. The sixth, Gerhard Winegar, whose burial had been in 1781 could not fully satisfy the certification standards.
Strauss provided the following listing of six names:
Col. Colbe Chamberlain, 1739-1796
Capt. William Chamberlain, 1745-1810
Lieut. Samuel Snyder, 1712-1808
Gerhard Winegar, 1750-1781
Ensign Henry Winegar, 1723-1787
Capt. William Young, 1747-1806
The Nine Partners Road Quaker Meetinghouse, built in 1780, will be the site of two summer lectures sponsored by the Millbrook Historical Society.
MILLBROOK — Long in the planning, the Millbrook Historical Society has announced that it is sponsoring two lectures in observance of the 250th anniversary of the American Revolution. Both lectures relating to Quaker history are to be held in the historic Quaker Meeting House on Nine Partners Road.
For the first talk, scheduled for Sunday, June 29, at 2 p.m., the historical society has invited Sarah Gronningsater, Professor of History at the University of Pennsylvania, to talk on “Quakers, Anti-slavery, and the American Revolution.” The topic will explore the role that New York’s Quakers, especially in the Hudson Valley, played in the rise of the anti-slavery movement that followed the American Revolution.
The second talk, scheduled for Sunday, July 27, at 2 p.m., invites Carl Lounsbury of the College of William and Mary and Colonial Williamsburg to speak on the architecture of the Nine Partners Meetinghouse. His talk is titled, “Nine Partners Meetinghouse Plan: A New Form in the Hudson Valley.” Expert in early American architecture, Lounsbury’s talk will compare Nine Partners with other later houses of worship in New York and New England.
Both lecture events will be held at the 1780 brick Nine Partners Quaker Meetinghouse in Millbrook. An earlier meetinghouse on the site had burned. The building has remained largely unchanged since the 18th century.
Given the age of the structure, handicapped access is limited and there are no rest room facilities.
Visitors should enter through the cemetery gate entrance.
The lectures are free and open to all, supported by a grant from the county and offered as part of Dutchess County’s participation in the nation’s 250th anniversary commemoration.
Downtown Millerton
MILLERTON — Voter turnout in the Village of Millerton dropped sharply in 2025, with just 58 ballots cast in this year’s village election — less than a third of the record turnout seen just two years earlier.
The election on June 17 marked a stark contrast to 2023, when signs littered the intersection of Route 22 and Route 44 and 208 voters headed to the polls to decide a competitive mayoral race between incumbent Jenn Najdek and challenger Kelly Kilmer. That year also featured two contested trustee positions and generated the highest turnout in at least five years.
This year’s ballot looked much different. All three candidates — Mayor Jenn Najdek, Trustee David Sherman, and newcomer Katie Cariello — ran unopposed. With no contested races, just 57 voters turned out, plus one absentee ballot and one spoiled ballot.
Participation in village elections has fluctuated significantly over the past five years, often correlating with whether races were contested.
An uncontested trustee race during the first summer of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 saw unusually low turnout with just 17 ballots cast. The 2022 election, which also featured two unopposed trustee candidates, saw a more typical 135 ballots.
Years with competitive mayoral or trustee races saw spikes in participation. In 2021, 147 voters turned out, followed by a special runoff one week later that drew 157 ballots after a tied trustee race. During that race, three trustees ran for two seats, with David Sherman and Laurie Kerr ultimately elected.
The most recent contested election in 2024 drew 122 voters. Matthew Hartzog, Matthew Soleau and Kelly Kilmer ran, with Hartzog and Soleau elected. While that marked a dip from the previous year, it was still more than double the number who turned out this year.
While elections in small villages like Millerton often see modest turnout, the wide swings from year to year suggest that competitive races — and clearer distinctions between candidates — play a major role in mobilizing voters.
Despite the lack of competition, this year’s election produced a few notable results. Trustee David Sherman led all candidates with 52 votes, including 13 on the Republican line and 39 on the Democratic. Mayor Najdek was re-elected with 47 votes — 41 on the Democratic line and six on the Republican. Newcomer Katie Cariello received 39 votes — 34 Democratic and five Republican. There were also four write-ins for mayor and three for trustee.
