PARLIER – Older residents who frequent the Parlier Senior Center will soon have a refreshed space where they can come together around a hot meal and build community.
This is thanks to more than $25,000 the city received from the Fresno-Madera Area Agency on Aging (FMAAA). At its June 19 meeting, the Parlier City Council approved a funding award from the FMAAA to support the city’s senior meals program for the 2025-26 fiscal year.
“They’ll be supplying the meals every day from now on, so we don’t have to worry about it,” Assistant City Manager Bertha Escalera said. “They’ll be delivered there, they’ll be warm, you’ll have something for a balanced diet, healthy for the seniors, so we’re just asking the council to formally approve this agreement.”
Funding from the FMAAA, which is an organization that serves older adults within Fresno and Madera counties, will be used to provide nutritious, balanced meals to seniors, including costs related to meal preparation and delivery. Beyond supporting the program’s basic service, however, the FMAAA is also providing the Parlier Senior Center with new equipment.
Escalera said that the FMAAA has already delivered a new refrigerator, two double ovens, a food warmer, tables, chairs, an ice machine and shelving units, all of which will help with meal preparation. Escalera said there is also a small refrigerator that will be designated for the seniors only, so when the senior center is rented out to the community, they’ll be able to lock the refrigerator for the senior meals.
The meals provided will come from the Fresno Economic Opportunities Commission, Escalera said.
Other grants, opportunities
The Parlier City Council also approved a small grant award from the Sierra Kings Health Care District (SKHCD) at its meeting on June 19. The award, called a mini-grant, was for slightly more than $5,000 and will also benefit older residents in the community.
With the SKHCD funding, Parlier plans to develop a Senior Community Garden aimed at improving access to nutritious food, encouraging physical activity among seniors and improving behavioral wellness through social engagement, according to a Parlier city staff report. Money from the grant will purchase six raised garden beds, soil, seeds, plants and trees, garden tools and equipment, a drip irrigation system and educational materials.
On top of accepting already-awarded grant funds, the council also adopted three resolutions authorizing the city to apply for more grant funding from a variety of programs offered by the U.S. Department of Justice. The programs include the Law Enforcement Mental Health and Wellness Act, the Safer Outcomes Program and the Community Policing Development Microgrants Program.
With the Law Enforcement Mental Health and Wellness Act grant, the city could be awarded up to $200,000 over a two-month period to support the implementation of mental health and wellness services for both law enforcement officers and their families. Through the Safer Outcomes Program, the city could receive up to $250,000 for enhanced de-escalation and crisis response training for law enforcement.
The Community Police Development Microgrant Program would award the city up to $175,000 over a two-year period and would support law enforcement in developing and implementing strategies to advance community policing. Community policing aims to build partnerships and trust between local law enforcement and the community, resulting in crime reduction.
Alongside these grant applications, however, Mayor Alma Beltran reminded city staff that the council needs to adopt its fiscal year 2025-26 budget prior to submitting the applications.
“My concern is that we haven’t had a workshop for our budget, we haven’t even approved a budget or a continued resolution,” Beltran said. “When we apply for these grants, we need to have that done before June 30, because that’s for us to be in compliance.”
Finance Director Mayra Escobedo said she is planning to bring the proposed budget to the council at its next regular meeting on July 3. This falls after the city’s budget adoption deadline of June 30, however; to keep operating above board until it formally adopts the 2025-26 budget, the council will have to pass a continuing resolution prior to the end of the month.
Beltran said they will need to schedule a special meeting before June 30 to complete this.
