Build Coachella Valley Fund grant helps thwart food insecurities in Palm Springs area

Through community engagement, outreach, food distribution and a variety of other services, Cathedral City Senior Center is revered for helping improve the quality of life for seniors 55+ living in Cathedral City and the surrounding communities.

But ambitious souls running things behind the scenes are quick to note it's more than a senior center.

"It's a focus, and it's what we do best," says Cathedral City Senior Center Chief Executive Officer Geoff Corbin. "There's much more going on at the center than people may realize. Cathedral City doesn't have a Parks and Recreation Department, nor a viable community center, so we've become the de facto community center for our city."

"We serve so much more than seniors," he adds. "We serve young Hispanic families. About 40 percent of our membership is now Spanish speaking, and we have active bilingual programming. There's something for everyone here."

Corbin is quick to note that the center is currently one of the only Braille-approved facilities in the region, being the first of its kind in the Valley after the closing of the Braille Institute in Rancho Mirage.

The center's beating heart, however, lies in its strong focus on seniors, which makes the recent Build Coachella Valley Fund grant it received through the Inland Empire Community Foundation even more significant.

Corbin and Chief Operating Officer Vic Ide say the organization can use those resources to create new opportunities for the center's ever-expanding efforts to combat hunger and food insecurities via The Jim Scheibel and Tim Wood Food and Humanity Center.

Launched by the center in 1998 as The Food Bank, the entity now provides more than 10,000 pounds of food weekly to more than 300 low-income, unhoused, underserved or food insecure families. Distributions take place every Monday morning.

Ide points out that The Food Bank grew considerably in a short amount of time partly because of a strategic pivot that was made to specifically reach out to Cathedral City's bilingual Spanish-speaking community. It involved the hiring of an outreach coordinator who went out into the community to garner information and make connections.

The coordinator now sits regularly at about 25 different locations around the Cathedral City area and speaks with Spanish-speaking residents, primarily low-income residents.

"It's all about building trust, and listening to what people need," Ide says. "If the coordinator realizes people are food insecure, she will direct them to our food bank. In many ways, the food bank has grown considerably mainly because of this intentional outreach initiative."

The recent grant will also now allow the organization to deliver food into the community where people don't always have easy access to transportation.

"We have a lot of residents in low-income housing units and mobile home parks that are not able to get to the senior center," Ide says. "We have a team of people here now who pack up grocery bags individually for people, because we know what their diet is, and deliver them to their home every Monday morning."

With growth comes other shifts and, perhaps, more options. Ide notes that the center can now purchase additional food at FIND Food Bank, particularly food staples, because of the expanding need. The organization also receives donations from Trader Joe's, Grocery Outlet, Vons, Starbucks and other companies in the area.

"Seniors are in danger of becoming food insecure and, for a number of reasons, they can lack of mobility," Ide says. "Maybe they're widowed and not being able to afford food. Maybe there's isolation. And, as we found out from COVID, isolation can affect anyone."

Moving forward, he says the center will continue to invest in enhancing mind and body connection, and activities to keep seniors active to build networks of friendship.

"We call it food, fun and friendship," Ide says. "That's what we do here. And that's good for everyone."

Learn more at cathedralcenter.org .

Inland Empire Community Foundation works to strengthen Inland Southern California through philanthropy. Visit iegives.org .

Consider volunteering for the Cathedral City Senior Center

If you ask any one of their volunteers, they'll tell you that having the opportunity to make a difference in the lives of seniors is why they do what they do. It's a great opportunity to make friends while also enhancing the lives of the people around you. The CCSC volunteer program is currently recruiting new volunteers in the following areas: the food bank, front desk/reception and program facilitators. For more information, contact Pat at (760) 321-1548 or pat@cathedralcenter.org .

This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: Build Coachella Valley Fund grant helps thwart food insecurities in Palm Springs area