Martin Luther King center may face cuts
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- April
- 16
The Martin Luther King Multipurpose Center in Spring Valley is facing funding reductions that may result in cutbacks to its summer day care and youth employment programs.
Not only are donations from municipalities down, but private benefactors and other individuals are feeling the pinch too.
So the center’s taking a novel approach to try and bridge the budget gap: it’s holding an “Altruistic Auction” Saturday as part of its 18th annual fundraiser 7 p.m. at the Holiday Inn in Montebello.
Bidding on, say, a bag of groceries for the pantry, a day or a week of summer camp or a trip to a museum gives supporters a way to provide tangibly, said Nathan Mungin III, the center’s executive director (pictured
in the file photo at right with the then-executive director, Stella Marrs).
Of course, the center has faced financial crises before, but has weathered them and stayed within budget.
“We have been frugal but again, given just, the whole nation’s financial position, nonprofits … are the first to feel it and we’re usually the last ones to come out of it,” Mungin said.
The center, located on Bethune Boulevard, opened in 1964. It offers more than 20 free or low-cost programs, including an after-school program, a summer child-care program and a program for seniors.
In the 2007-2008 fiscal year, the center distributed more than 100,000 pounds of food to needy local families through its food pantry.
This entry was posted
on Thursday, April 16th, 2009 at 5:02 pm by Suzan Clarke. 
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