NECC pilot program places a renewed emphasis on community-building

MILLERTON — A new pilot program at the North East Community Center aims to bring in community members for chill hangs at the nonprofit’s office on South Center Street this summer.

The weekly “Community Porch Party” is an evolution of senior administrative assistant Ash Baldwin’s “Craft Collective,” which invited community members to enjoy a group crafting session where participants were encouraged to bring individual projects, swap tips and be together. The gathering on Wednesday, June 3, and the preceding “Craft Collective” meetings are part of a broader effort to provide accessible, community-building programming.

The pilot program is set to run every Wednesday through the end of July.

NECC board chair and interim Executive Director Irene Banning joined Baldwin along with Millerton resident Carol Kneeland and Pine Plains resident Cyndhia Valle at the program’s opening night. Kneeland brought enough knitting needles and yarn to go around, and taught Valle how to get started making a knitted square.

“She’s a total pro of 40 minutes,” Kneeland said, knitting needles in hand.

Banning said the community center is working to return to a former status as a community hub. She remembered the COVID-19 pandemic as a turning point for the organization, when it shifted to providing crisis management programs such as its food pantry and housing assistance.

While those programs are still important to NECC’s mission, Banning said, community building is equally so.

She recalled needing an outlet for social interaction when her son moved away from her home, prompting her to find a knitting group based out of Pine Plains.

“One day I just picked up my knitting and I decided to go,” Banning said. “It’s been a fabulous thing.”

The “Community Porch Party” is less focused on the crafting, and instead on just providing an opportunity for people to enjoy a nice yard and a chat with fellow community members. Baldwin and Banning assembled sweet treats and snacks for people to eat, and crafters are encouraged to bring a project but it’s not required.

The effort stems from a recognition that social interaction can be difficult to come by in northeast Dutchess County.

“It’s so hostile out there, and you always have to be careful about what you say or what you don’t say,” Banning said. “Just to have a place where that doesn’t matter is really nice.”

NECC’s “Community Porch Party” is set for Wednesdays from 3 p.m. to 5:30 through July 29.