People's Place: 50 Years of Serving Kingston's Most Vulnerable Neighbors |
Kingston's Community Hub for Food, Friendship, and Support Since 1970 |
More Than a Food Pantry
People's Place has been serving Kingston's Midtown neighborhood since 1970, starting as a community meal program and growing into a comprehensive social services organization. Today, it operates a food pantry, a community café, a thrift shop, and a range of support programs — all under one roof in a welcoming space on St. James Street.
The food pantry serves hundreds of families each month, providing emergency groceries to people facing hunger. But People's Place goes beyond food — staff help visitors navigate SNAP applications, utility assistance, housing support, and other social services. It's a one-stop shop for anyone struggling to make ends meet.
Location: 17 St. James Street, Kingston, NY 12401
The Community Café
People's Place Café offers affordable, nutritious meals in a restaurant-style setting. Anyone can eat there — you don't need to be a client or meet any eligibility requirements. It's a place where neighbors share tables, where someone living alone can enjoy a meal with company, and where dignity is part of the menu.
Programs include: Food pantry, community café, thrift shop, social services navigation, utility assistance, housing support, and community meals.
A Neighborhood Institution
People's Place is more than a service provider — it's a neighborhood institution. The thrift shop funds many of the organization's programs while providing affordable clothing and household goods. The café creates jobs and trains workers. And the food pantry ensures that no one in Kingston goes hungry. It's community support in its purest form — neighbors helping neighbors, with no judgment and no strings attached. |

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Glad they're getting some attention but I wish more people knew the thrift shop is open to everyone too. Picked up a barely used winter coat there for next to nothing last year. Good stuff comes through that place pretty regularly.
greg_upstateYes! People sleep on that thrift shop. I found a like-new KitchenAid mixer there for maybe eight dollars. You just have to go regularly because the good stuff moves fast.
I stopped in at the cafe last winter when I was going through a really rough patch. Nobody made me feel like I didn't belong there. Just sat down, had a warm meal, talked to a few people. That place does more for the community than most people realize.