Gallup senior center wins $309,000 in grants, opening nears

On June 9, the City Council approved four grants totaling more than $309,000 for Gallup’s new senior center. Senior Center Manager Steven Wargo brought the awards before council, and the funding was approved unanimously.

A federal Title IIIB grant of $33,988 will support transportation, helping residents get to and from the center for meals, events, shopping and medical visits. Another federal Title IIIC award of a little more than $98,000 will pay for meals served at the facility, while a separate $48,000 Title IIIC grant will cover home-delivered meals for seniors who cannot make the trip to 607 N. 4th St.

Lunch is served every day from noon to 1 p.m., and seniors 60 and older pay a $1.25 admission fee. Staff already delivers fresh meals every weekday and sends frozen meals for weekends. A fourth award, worth more than $30,000 through the state’s Nutritional Service Incentive Program, must be used to buy domestic foods grown in New Mexico. The state’s New Mexico Grown program helps public institutions, including senior centers, buy locally grown food, and the federal incentive program supports congregate and home-delivered nutrition programs by encouraging more meals to be served.

The city expects the center to open in October or November. The groundbreaking came on Feb. 3, 2025, next to the Harold Runnels Recreation Center, and city staff said at the time that the current senior center served about 180 to 200 seniors daily. The new cafeteria is expected to serve about 220 people and add dedicated activity rooms, including arts-and-crafts, wellness and billiards spaces, along with a more accessible office layout.

Councilor Sierra Yazzie Asamoa-Tutu asked about rising food costs, and Wargo said he did not expect to ask for more money during the rest of Fiscal Year 2027.