101 Women, Sandpoint recently held their bi-annual membership meeting and voted to award the Sandpoint Area Seniors, Inc. $10,000.

Sandpoint Area Seniors (also known as “SASi”) will use these funds to repair heating, cooling, safety and maintenance issues in their commercial kitchen. Currently, SASi produces about 25,000 meals annually through this kitchen — a kitchen that is in danger of being deemed out of compliance with state and federal codes if the needed repairs are not made.

Over half of the 25,000 meals SASi produces are packed up and delivered to home-bound seniors through their popular Home Delivered Meals program, aka, “meals-on-wheels.”

“For many of our area elders, the delivered meals are the only human contact they have all day,” said SASi Executive Director Ellen Weissman. “The deliveries insure a nutritious meal for our seniors while also providing a social benefit. It’s also a way to monitor the health and welfare of our most vulnerable population — our aging citizens — many who have no family in the area to care for them.”

SASi also provides lunch and friendship at the Sandpoint Senior Center, 820 Main, Mondays through Thursdays at 11:30 a.m. and breakfast on Fridays at 8:30 a.m. Additional meals are created for participants at SASi’s DayBreak Center which provides respite care for families facing Alzheimer’s and other memory issues.

“SASi is very grateful to 101 Women Sandpoint for this large donation,” added Weissman. “Our operations are dependent on donations, fundraising, grants and support from the Area Agency on Aging to fund our much-needed services — this grant is extremely helpful to our organization and the people we serve.”

The $10,000 grant to SASi is provided through the generous donations of 101 local women. 101 Women Sandpoint was created to provide a simple and powerful way to leverage the modest giving of many into substantial funding for local groups. Two $10,000 grants are given out each year to Bonner County non-profit organizations. The group’s funding includes a wide focus area with only religious and political groups excluded.

The group meets twice a year to vote on the three finalists that emerge after a vetting process that includes grant application reviews and site visits.

The other two finalists at this spring grant cycle included the Bonner County Food Bank — whose mission is to assist persons in our community with emergency non-medical resources in a time of personal crisis, and Creations of Sandpoint — whose mission is to provide an inclusive and encouraging space that builds a healthy community for tomorrow, one art project, healthy snack and positive experience at a time.

To learn more about SASi or to donate to the organization, go to their website at sandpointareaseniors.org or call 208.263.6860.

To learn more about 101 Women Sandpoint’s two other non-profit finalists or to donate to these organizations, go to their individual websites.

- Bonner County Food Bank — foodbank83864.com

- Creations for Sandpoint — creationsforsandpoint.org

Information: 101 Women Sandpoint, 101womensandpoint.com