Elected officials serve dinner at third annual Rumshock Foundation event

Recognizing that it takes more than a village to address the housing needs of veterans in Orange County, elected officials from the U.S. Congress, New York State, Orange County, the Town of Warwick, and its villages collaborated to serve guests at the annual “At Your Service Dinner” to benefit the Rumshock Veterans Foundation on September 17 at The Landmark Inn in Warwick.

This year’s attendees included Destiny Hallenbeck, Deputy District Director for Congressman Pat Ryan; State Senator James Skoufis; State Assemblyman Karl Brabenec; Orange County Legislator Barry Cheney; Warwick Town Supervisor Jesse Dwyer; Florida Mayor Dan Harter Jr.; and Village of Greenwood Lake Mayor Tom Howley. The dinner was prepared by award-winning chef Michael DiMartino and the beverages were provided by sponsor Desi Smyth, founder of SecureWatch24.com.

Hallenbeck reminded the dinner guests of what Congressman Ryan had announced earlier this year, when he was able to allocate $1 million in funding for the Rumshock project: “No veteran should be without a home in the country they put their lives on the line to defend. I pushed relentlessly to get this project included in this year’s budget, and I couldn’t be more proud [sic] to have secured these funds for the Rumshock Veterans Village to address veteran homelessness in Orange County.” The veterans village will be built in Port Jervis.

At a Port Jervis meeting of veterans in March 2024 Brabenec said, “Any step we as representatives can take to ensure our veterans find safe, comfortable, and affordable housing when they return home is a worthwhile effort, and I’m thrilled that Port Jervis’ veterans will now have access to further facilities that support them and their specific needs.”

The staff and volunteers at Rumshock Veterans Foundation are working to offer veterans the opportunity to improve their physical, mental, and emotional health and reconnect with society by constructing a village of 10 tiny homes in Port Jervis. There are five components to the Foundation’s sustainable program: 1) Rumshock Village, a sustainable community of 10 single-family homes; 2) hydroponic farming, maintained by village residents; 3) transportation, to assist village residents in making appointments to healthcare providers and other necessities; 4) E-waste recycling, involving the recovery of materials to be used in future production; and 5) canine companionship, for needed emotional support.

Students in the construction class at the Orange-Ulster BOCES campus, under the direction of Corey Moore, are building the 10 tiny homes (20-by-20-feet) in a prefabrication style. Later they will be assembled at the property in Port Jervis.

Rumshock Veterans Foundation is a 501 (c) (3) organization. Plans for the residential project are available to review on its website: Rumshockvf.org.