KERHONKSON – Despite what looked like a considerable amount of progress and forward momentum, the Pay it Forward Center, which was to be based at the site of the former Casino Restaurant in Kerhonkson, will have to be relocated.

"Citing differences with Wayne Bradford of Hudson Valley Restaurant Supplies, the owner of the property, as the reason the soup kitchen, food pantry and learning center will remain shuttered, Holly Christiana, executive director of the Pay it Forward Center states that the inability of the Center to open is 'regrettable and heartbreaking' as she and the board of directors seek a new location to provide these critical resources to this underserved area," says a press release, sent out on Tuesday.

"The organization, which holds a 501(c)(3) tax exempt status, will continue to recruit and train volunteers in order to expedite opening at a new location. Monetary donations are still being accepted and are crucial right now as the organization seeks to secure a new home."

The news comes after weeks of questions regarding when the facility would open, as it was originally slated to begin helping the area's needy in June. Christiana had also hoped that the Ulster County UCAT bus system could be utilized by clients of the center, but there were difficulties in working out the deal with the UCAT organizational body as well. Now with the not-for-profit organization searching for a new home, the more basic questions of when and where the center will open loom large.

Even more unfortunate about the situation is the support that had been pledged by town officials in both Wawarsing and Rochester, the two municipalities that would have most benefitted from having another soup kitchen and food pantry nearby, reducing the need for the area's disadvantaged to travel all the way up to Kingston to receive assistance.

To get involved with helping the Pay it Forward Center's efforts to find a new home, contact Holly Christiana at (845) 626-7977 and hchristiana1@gmail.com.