Editor’s note: This article was updated to include comments from Jovenes De Antano. Lea este artículo en español aquí.
A dispute between two nonprofits over owed funds ended on Oct. 24 as Jovenes de Antano settled a lawsuit it had brought against the Seniors Council of Santa Cruz and San Benito Counties.
Seniors Council Executive Director Clay Kempf said his organization paid the remaining balance of its 2024-25 fiscal year contract with Jovenes totalling $165,427 on Oct. 24. He said the Seniors Council would have paid that balance without the lawsuit.
“We were their strongest supporters for 40 years, so it’s a shame to see it end this way,” he said.
However, Jovenes board member Tami Cook-Erickson said they settled for less than what was owed saying Jovenes had been awarded several contracts totaling $546,675.
“There is a balance of services that we provided that were not covered,” she said. “We’ll figure out how to make it work moving forward.
Both Cook-Erickson and Kempf said they were happy the dispute was over though both were sorry it had to go through the legal process.
Jovenes filed the lawsuit on July 2 seeking $381,000 and claiming the Seniors Council had withheld and not reimbursed the organization for their food services to seniors.
Kempf said the lawsuit filing did not inform the court that the Seniors Council had already distributed more than $200,000 to Jovenes for their services that year.
“I would encourage them, and really all nonprofits, to talk to each other whenever possible when there’s confusion about any situation but especially around money owed,” he said. “I’m also happy that services to the seniors continue and, if anything, more services are being provided.”
After the Seniors Council had awarded Jovenes de Antano the meals contract for two decades, this year it selected San Jose-based Martha’s Kitchen, which began feeding seniors at the Pauline Valdivia Memorial Community Center in Hollister and in San Juan Bautista on July 1.
Martha’s Kitchen also took over from Jovenes the delivery of food to clients’ homes.
After losing two major grants for food and transportation services for seniors, where Jovenes was historically the only bidder, the organization laid off 13 employees.
On May 19, Jovenes’ former executive director Danny Barrera led a group of seniors who shared their concerns with the Hollister City Council. They lobbied the city for support, apparently believing the services were going to be discontinued.
Cook-Erickson said Barrera was among the staff let go after the fiscal year “due to loss of funding.”
Board member Tami Cook-Erickson previously told BenitoLink the nonprofit was transitioning from a government-funded organization to one relying on private donors.
She said the goal was for the organization to continue to provide social events for seniors such as loteria (Mexican Bingo), bingo and tax assistance days. According to their website, Jovenes also provides coffee in the mornings and exercise classes three days a week.
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