A donor whose only request is anonymity has donated $500,000 to Schoharie Recovery's rebuilding efforts.
That brings the total raised so far to almost $1 million-a figure that doesn't include tens of thousands of hours of sweat equity.
What's more, it will allow the all-volunteer group to not only continue helping those rebuilding their own homes and businesses, but also expand that assistance to people interested in moving into Schoharie and settling down there.
"It was quite a surprise," said John Poorman, chairman of Schoharie Recovery, of the $500,000 donation, "especially considering the need that's still out there."
All told, damage to the Schoharie area from August 28's Hurricane Irene is estimated at $30 million.
Though on Main Street, some businesses have reopened and people have moved home, Mr. Poorman said that's a little deceptive.
"On side streets like Grand and Fair, you take a look at about 8pm and you realize that while some of the homes are coming along, there are a lot of places for sale and even the ones that have been worked on, no one's home yet," Mr. Poorman said.
Schoharie Recovery has already provided financial assistance to help with uninsured flood damage to more than 100 families and businesses; applications for up to $4,000 in help can be found online at SchoharieRecovery.org.
At first, Mr. Poorman said, that help was limited to Schoharie-area residents returning home.
Now, however, Schoharie Recovery is allowing people willing to move into the community, rebuild a home, and live there for at least a year to apply.
"What we're realizing is that a lot of these people are young families and even though they may be buying these homes at a 'bargain' they're still needing to put a lot of money into them," Mr. Poorman explained.
"One of our goals from the beginning was to restore the population base. As long as these people are committed to staying here, we'll help them."
Mr. Poorman said things have changed from immediately after Irene, when everyone was pretty much in the same desperate shape.
Depending on things like financial resources and family and friends, some people were able to recover fairly quickly, he said.
But others have fallen behind. Some aren't sure what to do while others are overwhelmed by it all.
"We're all at different places now," he said, with some properties just beginning to be 'gutted'.
In the days immediately following the flood, Mr. Poorman said Schoharie Recovery set a goal of a year to rebuild its community.
"We were told it was completely impossible," he said, "But I'm optimistic that when we hit our one-year anniversary, we'll be impressed with how far we've come. Winter's been kind to us and we'll make a lot more progress this spring and summer."
Looking farther down the road, Mr. Poorman said he sees a largely-intact Schoharie with walkable streets, a thriving library and a vibrant school, and a mixture of new and old "green", energy-efficient homes that most other communities will envy.
"We'll never be able to go back to what we were, but I think we're on our way to something better," he said.
Volunteers are still welcome and needed in Schoharie-especially groups of skilled electricians, plumbers, and sheet-rockers.
More information on how to volunteer and donate to Schoharie Recovery is available at SchoharieRecovery.org.