SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. (NEWS10) – This week backstretch families arriving in town will be greeted with a special surprise! The NY Race Track Chaplaincy, along with volunteers and sponsors, teaming up to clean and redecorate the summer housing for the families.

Programs Director of the NY Race Track Chaplaincy Nick Caras, Saratoga Volunteer Coordinator Kim Weir, and Pastor of Pine Grove Community Church Mark Kehrer working together to spruce up ten cabins at the Pine Grove Family Camp on Pine Road in Saratoga Springs, where backstretch families stay for the duration of the meet.

The number of cabins occupied by backstretch workers is smaller this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which typically averages 40.

Among those who pitched in were: Impressions of Saratoga (owner Marianne Barker and daughter Maddy Zanetti); The Dominguez Family; Habitat for Humanity of Northern Saratoga, Warren, and Washington Counties; The Brown Family; The Brindle Family; The Lautenberg Family; Saratoga Springs Friends of Recreation; The Weir Family, The PNECC Social Concerns Committee, The Saratoga Immigration Coalition, Temple Sinai; and Friends of Spa City.

“I think this outpouring of support is just another example of the tight bond that exists between the good people of Saratoga and the Thoroughbred racing community,” Caras said.