When Don Ryder passed away last year, the very private man showed how much he cared about the local community by directing his entire estate, valued at approximately $750,000, be donated to the Donald W. Ryder Fund at the Central New York Community Foundation. The fund recently awarded its first grant: $150,000 to the Rescue Mission to expand and renovate its Syracuse Food Service Center.

“Don was a very private person during his lifetime, but he expressed to us his desire to provide naming gifts to publicly show the community how much he cared after he was gone,” said Jennifer Owens, Community Foundation vice president of development and marketing. “It is an honor to fulfill his wishes by making capital grants through the fund to worthy organizations in our community like the Rescue Mission.”

The Rescue Mission will utilize the grant to establish a designated family eating area as part of the renovation of their Food Service Center. The expansion will also add additional storage space and increase capacity to accommodate more volunteers and visitors.

“This grant is going to make a world of difference in ending hunger for the people we serve and we are so grateful to the Community Foundation and Don Ryder for making this possible,” said Rescue Mission Chief Development Officer Carolyn Hendrickson. “Our visitors are looking forward to having the option to sit and eat together as a family which is something that has never been possible due to the limited space of our building.”

Upon completion of its renovation, the Rescue Mission will be able to serve two-times as many individuals each day and continue to grow and foster its impact on the Central New York community.