New Hospice Area Among Benefits That Will Help Residents In Need
NEW HAMPTON, N.Y. (June 24, 2020) – The Michael & Erin Martucci Family Foundation has provided a $2,500 grant to Chiz’s Heart Street, a Kingston, N.Y., group home that provides love, support and family-type stability that those with mental illness or recovering from substance abuse may have never known.
The donation helped furnish a new hospice room, a place of comfort for residents needing end-of-life care; purchase commercial kitchen appliances; and enhance a community food pantry Chiz’s Heart Street operates.
“Chiz’s Heart Street makes a life-changing difference for those who need it most,” said Mike Martucci, a farmer and entrepreneur. “We’re proud to support such a program that not only benefits its own residents, but others in the community in search of compassion and a helping hand. It’s just one way The Michael & Erin Martucci Family Foundation contributes to our region.”
Chiz’s Heart Street founder and operator Mary Chisholm, a United States Air Force veteran beloved by the 60 group-home residents, said the generous donation will dramatically improve quality of life for those who already have endured so much. “I wanted to create the hospice room because Heart Street needed a place for people when their tired bodies are facing the end of life,” she said. “To leave this world surrounded by warmth, love and dignity is a small gift we can offer people who may have struggled their entire life.”
The new appliances and pantry strengthen Chiz’s Heart Street’s warm environment, which champions individuality and teamwork for its residents. “We prepare and serve family-style meals every day, and celebrate birthdays and holidays as a family,” Chisholm said. “Many people who come through our doors may never have had these happy experiences or the support of a family, so that’s what we try to do.”
Chisholm opened the home in 2004 because of a “keen awareness of the abundance of people who are forgotten by society, lost, or needed a safe place to call home,” she said. Residents typically arrive from hospitals, other shelters or incarceration, and selfless volunteers are essential contributors to its mission. Heart Street moved to its Washington Street location in 2014. Learn more at http://chizsheartstreet.org/
The Michael & Erin Martucci Family Foundation has committed to contributing $250,000 over a three-year period to any number of organizations that fall within the following categories: education, women’s and children’s advocacy, agriculture and job creation.
Mike and Erin Martucci are lifelong residents of the Hudson Valley and Catskills regions. Both come from families with strong ties to the local community, and they are sharing that same community-mindedness with their growing family. They reside in New Hampton with their three children and own a family farm in Westtown, Orange County. Learn more about The Michael and Erin Martucci Family Foundation at MartucciFoundation.org.
