_{Thumbnail: Del Norte County service providers worry about the fate of federal dollars that fund nutritious meals for senior citizens, advocates for foster youth and easier access to healthcare for those who are homeless. | Photo by Persephone Rose}

Charlaine Mazzei says the uncertainty surrounding whether or not the federal dollars her organization relies on is more worrying than a freeze itself.

Mazzei is the executive director for the Del Norte Senior Center and Del Norte Mission Possible. Part of the Community Action Partnership of Del Norte, those organizations rely on federal dollars to feed and house the elderly and provide access to healthcare for individuals experiencing homelessness. 

All told, the Community Action Partnership receives $2.15 to $2.4 million in federal dollars annually to provide those services. Without more definitive information about the Trump administration’s attempt to freeze federal grant funding, Mazzei says it’s difficult to plan for their potential loss.

“If you told me your program’s going to get a 20 percent cut, I can plan for that,” she told Redwood Voice Community News last week. “If we say this program’s going away, it’s not going to be fun, but I can plan for that. I don’t know how to plan for, ‘We don’t know what’s going on.’”