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City grants feeding Ashland seniors By Myles Murphy Ashland Daily Tidings The Ashland Citizens Budget Committee has recommended the allocation of more than $105,000 in grant money to 13 social service groups which work in the city. Friends (from left) Robert Ruby, Edwin Hanson, Emma Tompkins, Bill Harnett and Loys Taylor get their dishes cleared by John Hauser during a Friday "Food and Friends" luncheon at the Ashland Senior Center. Ashland Daily Tidings/DENISE BARATTA Community Works and the Community Health Center are recommended to get the largest shares, $33,000 and $30,000 respectively, According to Evelyn Kinsella, Nutrition Program Director for the Rogue Valley Council of Governments, smaller awards go a long way as well. "Ashland is very generous, and we're very fortunate to work with the city," Kinsella said. Kinsella's program "Food & Friends" provides more than 200,000 meals to senior citizens throughout Jackson and Josephine counties, including about 6,000 seniors in Ashland in 2002. The Budget Committee recommended a relatively modest $1,500 for the program efforts in Ashland. "The grant will be a really big help to us. It helps to subsidize the cost of meals," she said. The program provides one free meal a day, five days a week at the Ashland Senior Center in Hunter Park. Grants and donations help offset food and transportation costs. Other recommended grants included $15,000 to ICCA, $5,000 for the Center for Nonprofit Legal Services, $5,000 for ACCESS, Inc., $3,000 for Jackson County Children's Advocacy Center, $2,500 for CASA of Jackson County, $2,400 for Mediation Works, $2,000 for Ontrack, Inc., $1,750 for Children's Dental Clinic of Jackson County, $1,750 for Planned Parenthood, and $1,500 for the senior volunteer program at Rogue Valley Manor. Grants recommended to Community Works were earmarked for specific programs such as Dunn House, Help Line, Parent Education and Rape Crisis. There were 15 applicants originally requesting $161,353, with many recommended to get less than they requested and others getting no grants at all. Social Services grant money is funded through the General Fund. The grants are on a two-year funding cycle with a 2 percent adjustment for inflation in the second year. The recommendations must be approved by the Ashland City Council, which will consider the final budget in June. The full budget committee will meet at 7 p.m. April 24 for a meeting at the Ashland Civic Center Council Chambers, 1175 E. Main St. to look at the budgets for the Public Works Department and the city's Capital Improvement Plan. Other city departments will make their budget presentations April 26 and May 3, and the budget committee will have a final wrap-up meeting May 8 to consider approval. All meetings will be carried live on Rogue Valley Community Television Channel 9. LINKS: DAILY TIDINGS: Main | News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Opinion | Columnists | AP News | Subscribe | Archives | Weather | Classifieds | Contact Us | Privacy REVELS: Main | Calendar | Dining | Movies | T.V. OTHER: Road Cams Copyright 2003 Ashland Daily Tidings 541.482.3456. 1661 Siskiyou Blvd., Ashland, OR 97520. Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. - Advertisers -