West Valley city lands grants for senior meals, utility aid programs
The Surprise Senior Center.
Independent Newsmedia/Jason Stone
Two outside organizations gave a boost to a pair of city of Surprise assistance programs that help low-income, older residents or people with disabilities.
The city’s utility assistance and congregate meal programs will go on for now — thanks to grants continuing at the right time as cities brace for cutbacks of federal funding for such programs.
Human Services and Community Vitality Department Director Seth Dyson said recently that every dollar counts from private and nonprofit organizations to help make up for federal money that may be lost as the Trump Administration continues its thinning out of the federal government and the budget.
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Two outside organizations gave a boost to a pair of city of Surprise assistance programs that help low-income, older residents or people with disabilities.
The city’s utility assistance and congregate meal programs will go on for now — thanks to grants continuing at the right time as cities brace for cutbacks of federal funding for such programs.
Human Services and Community Vitality Department Director Seth Dyson said recently that every dollar counts from private and nonprofit organizations to help make up for federal money that may be lost as the Trump Administration continues its thinning out of the federal government and the budget.
Nonprofit Wildfire, which promotes economic self-sufficiency for low-income Arizonans and funds energy programs to provide money for bill assistance, recently granted $29,100 for the city’s Utility Assistance Program that is run through the Surprise Resource Center, 12425 W. Bell Road.
The two sides have worked together for the last three fiscal years. Wildfire also helps assist programs such as weatherization services, utility repair and replacement and utility deposits.
Surprise also received a $92,000 grant from Area Agency on Aging for the congregate meal program the city operates at the Surprise Senior Center, 15832 N. Hollyhock St.
The assistance group has been helping the city since 2004 with the congregate meals, which provide nutritious, hot food to older adults and people with disabilities.
The city also plans to use a portion of the grant for the Senior Center multipurpose operations that support the meal program.
This grant award was for $12,000 for part-time salaries and $80,000 for special event hosting.
Because the city was required to match 10% of the grant to receive it, the city council at its next meeting Aug. 5 is expected to agree to paying $9,200 out of the Human Services and Community Vitality Department’s operating budget.
Meet Jason Jason Stone joined Independent Newsmedia, Inc., USA, in 2019, after a distinguished three decade media career that included stops at the Arizona Republic, iHeart Media/Clear Channel and Beckett Sports Card magazine. He remembers when airports sold newspapers.
Community: He is a big supporter of the Valley's original sports team: The Phoenix Suns.
Education: Northern Arizona University with a BS in broadcast journalism and a minor in sports coaching.
Random Fact: The capital of Nebraska is Lincoln.
Hobbies: Surfing, backgammon and men who aren't afraid to cry.
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