​​SASi receives grant to plan for the future

By Ben Olson
Reader Staff

The Sandpoint Senior Center was a little brighter this week, as it received the first installment of a substantial grant that aims to help build development capacity at Sandpoint Area Seniors, Inc.

The JTMF Foundation awarded SASi with $187,000 over three years, with the first installment already having been received by the organization, board members told the Reader. 

Formed from the proceeds of the sale of Consumer Cellular in 2020, JTMF Foundation has a stated mission to help older adults by focusing on bolstering organizations in the Pacific Northwest. The grant will help SASi finance a position that will focus on fundraising, grant writing and development.

“We’ve already begun actively recruiting for that position,” said Board Member Weslie Kary.

But, as Kary pointed out, the grant does not mean that SASi can rest on its fundraising laurels, since the grant will not cover any operating expenses.

“I don’t want people to think we got this great grant and we don’t need our regular grants, because we do,” she said. “About 25% of our revenue comes from grants from organizations like CAL, Innovia and the United Way, and we continue to rely on that.”

Weslie Kary, back row far right, and Loris Michael, front row far right, pose with kitchen and meal delivery staff at the Sandpoint Senior Center. Photo by Ben Olson.

While those grants are crucial to maintaining service levels, board members acknowledged their discomfort with relying on endowments that aren’t often repeated year after year by particular organizations, as well as awards that are project-focused and don’t target operating expenses.

With SASi approaching an important milestone next year, Board Vice-President Loris Michael said this is the perfect time to reach out more to the public and let the community know about the varied services and amenities the Sandpoint Senior Center offers, as well as its constant need for support to help improving the lives of the elderly population.

“Next year will be our 50th anniversary,” Michael told the Reader. “When I first joined the board, we were almost in the red every month. It can become very scary. We aren’t just funding meals. The fact that we’re here is so important so that people aren’t feeling isolated.”

Aside from providing an important social outlet for seniors to connect with one another over games like bridge, pinochle and bingo — as well as senior-oriented exercise classes — SASi regularly provides home-delivered meals to thousands in the county, as well as food served inside their facility each day. The organization served and delivered an estimated 27,000 meals in 2022, and are averaging about 2,250 meals per month in 2023.

“Last month we served 2,200 meals,” Kary said. “We currently have a waiting list for home-delivered meals.”

While the meals are one of SASi’s biggest services to the community, it’s also one of the reasons the organization struggles to stay above water. While SASi receives funding for meals from the Area Agency on Aging, Bonner County and state Medicaid, the reimbursement falls significantly short of the actual costs to prepare and deliver meals.

“It currently costs us almost $13 per meal, but the average reimbursement is running at about $7.50 per meal,” Kary said. “They also tell us how many we can subsidize, and they cut our allocation this year when we were experiencing increased demand.”

Kary and Michael underscored that they are actively recruiting for the fundraising position.

“We want to use this grant to help tell our story,” Kary said. “We’re collecting testimonials and will use that to feed into our 50th anniversary promotions coming up.”

Those interested in the development officer position at SASi are encouraged to email [email protected].