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Merced County honors volunteers and businesses that aided mobile‑home fire victims
Summary
The Merced County Board of Supervisors recognized individual volunteers, local nonprofit groups and businesses for long‑term volunteer service and for assisting residents after a July 2024 mobile‑home park fire; the board approved certificates of recognition unanimously.
The Merced County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday recognized volunteers and local businesses for ongoing community service and for emergency assistance following a July 2024 mobile‑home park fire.
The board presented volunteer-of-the-year awards to several individuals and groups across districts, and issued certificates to Hotel Mission de Oro, Morning Star Packing Company, United Way, Pacific Gas and Electric Company and TriPhase Electric for their work responding to the July 2024 Centonella Mobile Park home fire.
Supervisor McDaniel presented District 2’s volunteer of the year to Lisa Coffey, who described more than a decade of volunteer work with Mercy Medical Center and the D Street shelter. “Volunteering… makes me very humble with what I have,” Coffey said. Dora Garcia was named District 3 volunteer of the year for her more than 30 years with Atwater Youth Baseball; Garcia said the program serves about 465 children.
For District 4 the board honored the Delhi Parents Committee for 18 years of parent engagement and advocacy in local schools. The group’s work with organizations such as United Farm Workers and California Rural Legal Assistance was noted by a presenting supervisor.
Supervisor Silvera introduced the District 5 recognition for Morning Star Packing Company and affiliates, which county staff said donated and installed generators and supplied diesel fuel after the July fire, and coordinated free hotel lodging for displaced residents at Hotel Mission de Oro. Marcus Chavez, representing Morningstar Trucking, described the company’s rapid response: “We decided to open up some rooms, free of charge for the guests that were affected… and brought them to the property.” Shannon Cook of Hotel Mission de Oro said the hotel and partnering organizations worked daily with county staff during the response.
County staff credited a multiagency effort that included county departments and private partners: Morning Star donated emergency generators and fuel; Hotel Mission de Oro offered no‑cost accommodations; United Way provided funding for repairs; Pacific Gas and Electric Company coordinated with county officials to restore power; and TriPhase Electric supplied labor and technical work to rebuild the system. The board’s item description tied those recognitions to the July 2024 mobile‑home park fire; the board approved the certificates as consent calendar item 20 by unanimous voice vote.
The board also invited volunteers and representatives to the front for photographs and presented certificates, pins and a challenge coin. No other formal actions were attached to the recognitions beyond the board’s unanimous approval of the certificates.
