Albany, N.Y. — Stuyvesant Plaza has donated $100,000 worth of gift cards to help students at the University of Albany buy basic needs items, professional clothing for job interviews and health and wellness services. The gift cards can be used at retailers within the shopping center, which is situated at 1475 Western Ave., adjacent to the university. Stuyvesant Plaza is home to 18 tenants and was originally built in 1959.
“UAlbany students are part of the fabric of the Capital Region and the Stuyvesant Plaza community,” says Edward Swyer, president and CEO of Stuyvesant Plaza. “This is a difficult time for college students who are adapting to new protocols and responsibilities, while others face new burdens as they prepare to enter the workforce. At the same time, the shops and restaurants at Stuyvesant Plaza continue to feel the financial impact of the pandemic. Stuyvesant Plaza is proud to donate these gift cards to benefit both the students and our tenants as we continue to collectively work through these challenges.”
When shops and restaurants were shuttered last March, Stuyvesant Plaza offered weeks of rent forgiveness to tenants and purchased $10,000 in gift cards to its restaurants for take-out meals. The plaza, in turn, donated the gift cards to healthcare workers on the front lines of the COVID-19 response at Albany Medical Center and St. Peter’s Hospital.