About Us

The Living Well Mission began as an outreach ministry of the Penn Yan United Methodist Church. Pastor Sandi Perl and several dedicated volunteers founded our organization in October 2013, after the Red Cross closed operations in Yates County. As a former Director of the Red Cross operation in Penn Yan, Pastor Sandi used her firsthand knowledge of the vulnerable populations in Yates County and recognized the needs that would be unmet in the absence of The Red Cross.

As a fledgling organization, The Well continued to grow its client base and expand its operations when the 2014 major flood cemented The Well as the go-to organization to meet community needs.

Homes and businesses were destroyed in hours as Penn Yan and the surrounding communities were inundated with floodwaters. By early morning much of Penn Yan including The Well were underwater. Pastor Sandi and her volunteers organized an operation in a local bank lobby to feed the hundreds of volunteers working to salvage the contents of flooded businesses and homes.

Local businesses and The Well volunteers donated food and water. Volunteers moved the contents of the emergency food pantry and dry goods pantry from The Well and launched a large-scale relief operation at a local church. In December 2014 all available disaster relief funds were spent and The Well returned to its intended work as an ongoing emergency resource for families in crisis but it was clear from the disaster recovery experience, more than food and dry goods were needed to help support Yates County residents.

In July of 2014 a Board of Directors was elected and The Well’s long-term vision and mission were instituted. The Board includes pastors,  experienced mental health professionals, successful business owners/operators, and community members passionate about the needs of our community.

Our vision was informed by nine months of operational disaster recovery experience. Everyone agreed The Well needed to reach beyond the immediate needs of the community to play an integral role in helping people in crisis become self-sufficient.