Senior Services Grant Commission approves split distribution of $138,000 in reserves; awards $40,000 to Harvard, $29,004 to Woodstock

The McHenry County Senior Services Grant Commission on Thursday voted to adopt a plan to redistribute about $138,000 in available investment proceeds, splitting half to existing grantees and allocating the other half between the Harvard Senior Center and the Woodstock Food Pantry.

Chair (meeting chair) said staff had placed $34,000 into an emergency reserve and that the remaining roughly $138,000 was available for redistribution. "I am gonna guess that both the state and the federal government are going to start to withhold some funds," the chair said, describing the reserve as a contingency to help seniors affected by program reductions such as SNAP clawbacks.

The commission considered three options. Option 1 would have given the available funds to already-funded agencies; Option 2 split the funds between existing grantees and two organizations that had previously received no or partial funding; Option 3 would have given the full amount to Harvard and Woodstock. After discussion about program needs, monitoring capacity and one-time versus ongoing needs, Vice Chair Tina moved to adopt Option 2; the motion was seconded by Ms. Campbell and passed in a roll-call vote with all commissioners present voting in favor.

The commission approved the staff-recommended split of the non-reserve half: Harvard Senior Center will receive $40,000 and the Woodstock Food Pantry will receive $29,004.12. The other half of the available funds will be distributed to existing grantees consistent with the commission's prior application reviews and award amounts.

Vice Chair Tina, a Woodstock resident who presented a summary of the pantry's clientele, said the Woodstock Food Pantry serves 16,334 clients, about 30% of whom are seniors (approximately 4,942). She described a one-time delivery need created after United Way funding for a DoorDash program ended and said the commission funds would allow the pantry to restore a delivery option for homebound seniors. "She said the pantry has restored her faith in humanity," Tina said, recounting a pantry client's testimony about the program's importance.

Staff also reported on monitoring visits conducted last fall and winter. A monitoring presenter said the department visited five agencies (about 31% of grantees), reviewed financials and client records, and found most agencies returned low-risk ratings. Prairie State Legal Services was reported as a moderate risk during a transition after a longtime contact retired; staff said Prairie State corrected issues and provided required files to meet contract obligations.

Commission staff outlined quarterly reporting timelines and recent service counts: for two Independence Health and Therapy projects in December and January, staff reported 60 unique seniors served with age breakdowns provided for adult day health and memory care projects. Commissioners heard that the county treasurer’s office and its investment manager manage the department’s short-term investments to balance liquidity and yields.

The commission scheduled its next meeting for May 15. Chair closed the discussion by thanking staff and commissioners for increased oversight and advising that staff will notify organizations of the additional awards.

What the commission decided

- Motion: Adopt Option 2 to split available funds between existing grantees and two one-time recipients (Harvard Senior Center and Woodstock Food Pantry). Moved by: Tina (Vice Chair). Seconded by: Ms. Campbell. - Vote: Roll-call vote recorded in favor by all commissioners present; action carried. - Allocation: Harvard Senior Center — $40,000; Woodstock Food Pantry — $29,004.12; the remaining half redistributed among previously funded agencies per existing award requests and staff recommendations.

Next steps

Staff will notify recipients, update reimbursement instructions, and report back to the commission on quarterly reimbursements at the May meeting.