SAFFORD — At its most recent meeting, the Safford City Council voted unanimously to distribute $100,000 to 16 of the 18 area nonprofit organizations that requested funding.
“Instead of us just rolling numbers forward, we’re actually looking at a much broader scope in terms of the community and the nonprofits,” said City Manager John Cassella.
The council directed funding as follows:
- $17,000 to First United Methodist Church for the purchase of a program transport vehicle
- $9,000 to Mt. Graham Safe House for operational expenses
- $9,000 to St. Vincent de Paul Society for landfill fees and operational expenses
- $9,000 to Our Neighbor’s Farm and Pantry for landfill fees and operational expenses
- $7,500 to the Boys and Girls Club of the Gila Valley for upgrades to the kitchen facilities
- $7,000 to Gila Valley Arts Council for lodging for performers
- $7,000 to SEACUS for operational expenses
- $5,000 to Desert Cat Rescue and Sanctuary for the spay and neuter voucher program
- $5,000 to Easter Seals Blake Foundation for facility improvements
- $5,000 to the Graham County Citizens Alliance for Wreaths Across America and a veterans rehabilitation center
- $5,000 to the Safford Downtown Association for the façade grant program
- $3,600 to Gila Valley Balloons for its Extravaganza event
- $3,400 to Safford Lions Foundation for American flags on Main Street and Highway 70
- $3,000 to Eastern Arizona Hispanic Heritage Foundation for scholarships
- $3,000 to the Safford Bulldog Booster Club for a commercial washer and dryer
- $1,500 to Big Brothers and Big Sisters of Southern Arizona for operational expenses
Receiving no funding were the Desert Seed Resource Center and the Gila Valley Samaritan Home; however, Council Member Dusti Brantner suggested Samaritan Home could instead be funded through the city’s portion of opioid settlement funds rather than through the grant program.
It took the council nearly an hour to decide which organizations get funding and at what levels, which prompted Council Member Alma Flores to suggest the city try something different next year.
“I think maybe we should evaluate the process and see if there’s a different way to do it,” Flores said.
