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Local nonprofits report rising food demand and seek funding to expand senior services
Summary
Project CommunityDOD reported serving 6,169 households and 12,975 individuals in 2025 and plans bilingual recipe cards and a financial-wellness program; Deming Senior Center partners are seeking $50,000 for weekend meal service and a $500,000 USDA grant for an outdoor wellness space.
Representatives from local nonprofits updated the Luna County Board of County Commissioners on service levels, recent fundraising and pending grant requests aimed at expanding food and senior services.
Janne Mills, speaking for Project CommunityDOD, said the program served "over 6,169 households in 2025 and also 12,975 individuals received food from our project." She described staffing constraints at the community closet and outlined planned initiatives including bilingual recipe cards and monthly cooking tutorials to help families use donated produce. Mills said demand appears to be "leveling out," estimating a monthly caseload of about 600–650 households and citing a recent day that served more than 149 households in one shortened shift.
Tiffany, representing Ventus Solutions, reported on fundraising for the Deming Senior Center and said recent support included $5,000 from Capital Power, a $1,000 private donation, a $10,000 award from "Newcinda," and a $10,000 check from the Gila Community Foundation — totaling roughly $26,000 in the past 30 days. Tiffany also said Ventus is compiling a Luna County organizations and agency directory with a tentative April website launch.
Valerie Coulter (Ventus) said the senior-center partners are pursuing two major funding requests: a $50,000 proposal to the Journey for Good Foundation to provide take-home weekend meals (using existing kitchen, staff and volunteers, with no new hires) and a $500,000 application to the USDA Community Facilities Direct Loan and Grant Program to expand the center's patio into an accessible outdoor wellness and garden area with raised beds, shaded seating and accessible pathways.
"This program would provide take home weekend meals distributed on Friday using our existing kitchen, staff, volunteers, and delivery systems," Coulter said, adding the expansion would support daily adult day participants and congregate programs. Commissioners thanked presenters and indicated support for continued fundraising and grant pursuit.
