Goodyear City Council allocates $160,200 to area nonprofits

Goodyear City Council voted Monday to allocate $160,200 to Valley nonprofits as part of its Community Funding program for fiscal year 2021-22.

Twenty-seven organizations were selected with grant amounts ranging from $1,000 to $25,000, funding a variety of programs including assistance for the homeless, at-risk youth, victims of domestic violence and services for vulnerable seniors, among other programs.

The $160,200 figure represents a nearly 30% increase in program funding from last fiscal year, when 21 organizations received a total of $114,400.

This year, about $214,400 in funding was available to qualifying organizations, according to the city of Goodyear website.

All Faith Community Services, a partner agency of St. Mary’s Food Bank, received the highest grant of $25,000 to fund its mobile food bank. Last year, the organization received $15,000 from Goodyear to a mobile food bank pilot program aimed at serving food-insecure populations isolated from public transit.

With the funds, and in partnership with other organizations, All Faith purchased a 30-foot Winnebago motorhome and fundraised for a second custom-built trailer to deliver meals and other desperately needed services on the road and outside schools and churches, said All Faith director Cassie Wilkins.

Because the city of Goodyear doesn’t have a permanent food bank, residents in need must travel outside city limits to access services, said Wilkins. But many do not have ready access to transportation, she said.

“The city felt that this was an important project and program to have in their community…since there’s not another organization in the community that’s able to do it,” Wilkins said.

The $25,000 provided this year will help to fund the overhead of the roving food bank: fuel, maintenance, insurance and the cost to hire a dedicated driver to replace inconsistent volunteers.

“One of the worst things you can do is to start a program and then… not be there when you say you will,” said Wilkins. “Building that kind of confidence with the community is important to us.”

Wilkins praised the city of Goodyear for its “forward thinking” and “balanced” funding approach.

“As they bring arts to the city, as they bring recreation to the city…they’re not forgetting about those basic needs,” she said.

The All Faith mobile food bank operates every second and fourth Thursday of the month outside Lighthouse Fellowship near Jackrabbit Trail and Thomas Road, and the fourth Saturday of the month at Skyway Church near Van Buren Street and Bullard Avenue.

Supplies for babies and pets are also distributed. Those interested in getting assistance or volunteering can learn more at allfaithcsaz.com/.  

The council gives priority to organizations that focus their efforts on vulnerable populations, those that provide health care-related transportation solutions, mental health services for young people and programs that create "social and cultural cohesion in Goodyear,” according to the city’s website.

Other top grantees include Agua Fria Food and Clothing Bank, which received $15,000, Southwest Lending Closet which received $14,000 and Phoenix Rescue Mission which received $10,000. The full list of grantees can be viewed here.

Ann DeVlaeminck, executive director of Southwest Lending Closet, described her organization as “a library for durable medical equipment.” Equipment such as wheelchairs, crutches and shower stools are rented out free of cost for 90 days.

Since the majority of the lending closet’s clients are those recovering from short-term injuries such as accidents and surgeries, DeVlaeminck said she saw a decline in need during the pandemic, as elective surgeries were deferred by Gov. Doug Ducey, and shutdowns presented less opportunity for injuries.

Despite the decline in need, the lending closet still managed to serve 5,000 people last year, DeVlaeminck said, Today, numbers are nearly back to normal, she said.

“Now that people are back out driving, people are going to sporting events, people are having their elective surgeries, our service demand is almost to pre-pandemic levels,” she said.

The Community Funding project provided the lending closet $13,600 last year, which helped to start the process of digitizing the organization’s inventory system.

Today, the organization still relies on paper, but DeVlaeminck hopes with the funds, their new filing system will be completed in September. Grant money also will go toward operating costs and equipment repair and replacement.

For information on the Southwest Lending Closet, visit their website at swlendingcloset.org.

Grant recipients are selected by a subcommittee comprised of three members of the council. Recipients must be tax exempt, with a demonstrable plan to serve the community, and can raise funds from other sources. The program received 45 applications for fiscal year 2021-22, requesting a total of $388,907, according to a July 12 council agenda. 

The grant program was officially established by the Goodyear City Council in 2001 to fund important services not provided by the city.