This grant through Mid-America Regional Council (MARC) helps make possible the City's Nutrition Site Program offered through the Parks/Recreation/Tourism Department's Senior Adult Services Division. The Program is offered to area seniors, 60 years and over and their spouses, as well as disabled individuals, 18 years and over. When the center is open, lunches are offered at the Palmer Recreation Center, Monday through Friday. Frozen meals are delivered while the center is temporarily closed as a precaution related to the COVID-19 pandemic. Home delivered meals are also available to those individuals that meet program guidelines.
In previous years, the City has applied for and received grant funding annually from MARC for operating expenses associated with salaries for personnel to operate the Nutrition Site. In 2018, MARC changed their application process and funding tiers for qualifying agencies. In response, the Parks/Recreation/Tourism Department staff submitted a Community Center Proposal to MARC for The Palmer Center. Following review by the Board of Directors of MARC, the City was selected to provide Community Center Services at the Urban Gold tier level for $30,000 in grant funding annually for up to three years for administering the program. This amount was included in the adopted current fiscal year budget.
Each year the grant is amended based on available funding for additional services. The proposed Ordinance would increase appropriations by $40,000 in Senior Adult Services, designated as follows: $20,000 for transportation, $10,000 for assessments, and $10,000 for evidenced-based programming.