Joe Borich, chief executive officer of the Southeast Idaho Community Action Agency, thanked Soda Springs residents for long-standing support and reviewed SECA’s suite of services at the City Council meeting.

“SECA provides services and resources to help combat low income and poverty,” Borich said. “We’re not doing handouts. We’re there to give a little bit of a hand up.” He said Project Warmth — a local fundraiser the agency runs in winter — supplements federal energy-aid funds to help residents pay heating bills.

Why it matters: SECA staff said local donations remain critical because some residents do not qualify for federal programs. Borich told the council that money raised and donations given in Soda Springs stay in the Soda Springs office to help local households directly.

Borich said SECA serves seven counties from its Pocatello home office and maintains a long-term presence in Soda Springs. He listed Bannock, Bingham, Bear Lake, Caribou, Power, Franklin and Oneida counties as the agency’s service area and said the office in Soda Springs coordinates a food pantry, energy assistance, weatherization, self-help housing development and other programs.

Renee Lynch, SECA’s program manager newly assigned to the Soda Springs office, described local operations and volunteer support. Lynch said the Soda Springs food pantry operates weekly and that many community members volunteer regularly to keep it stocked. She asked residents, local businesses and agencies to alert SECA when they see unmet needs so the agency can include those issues in its periodic needs assessment.

Borich highlighted SECA’s self-help housing program and said the agency has built houses across southeast Idaho, including several in Soda Springs in prior years. He said SECA partners with Idaho Housing and Finance Association and other lenders to provide low-cost loans and sweat-equity construction for qualifying households.

Borich gave a fundraising update: Project Warmth in Soda Springs raised “just under $4,000,” he said, and that local fundraising dollars are reserved for community members who fall outside federal program eligibility or for discretionary needs.

Council and staff asked practical questions about the Soda Springs office. Borich said the local office is across from the sheriff’s station in a red metal building; Lynch said she is in the office Monday through Thursday, 7 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. and that she will provide contact information to city staff for referrals.

Ending: Council members thanked SECA for the presentation and for local volunteer involvement. SECA asked the public to contact the Soda Springs office or Renee Lynch with requests or to report needs in the community.