Foothills Sentry Page 6 JANUARY 2026 Tustin Area Senior Center moves food distribution hours to afternoon By Guy Ball The Tustin Area Senior Center’s food distribution and senior grocery program will shift from mornings to afternoons beginning in January. This program provides food to those who need help supplying good meals for themselves or their families. Times will now be from 1:30 to 2:30 p.m. on the second and fourth Thursday of each month. Random numbers will be given out at 1 p.m. to help make the distribution process smooth and orderly. On the fourth Thursday, available items may include non-perishable food, fresh vegetables, fruits and breads (depending on food bank availability). On the second Thursdays items may also include frozen meat and dairy. Tustin Parks and Recreation Department works with Orange County’s Second Harvest Food Bank to distribute food to the community in this way. They have been helping the community for well over five years and, during COVID, had a drive-through food distribution project with pre-packaged meals. “We’ve been assisting Tustin residents experiencing food insecurity for many years and have helped several thousand people, including children,” said Cece Torres, recreation coordinator of the Tustin Area Senior Center. “I’m proud of our dedicated staff and volunteers for the compassion, care and commitment they show in serving so many others.” The Tustin Area Senior Center offers a large variety of activities, including lunch programs, weekly bingo and transportation services, as well as various support groups (Alzheimer’s, LGBTQ+, Grief and Parkinson’s) and various seminars. It also brings in specialists on taxes, Medicare, and computer help. More program information can be found at tustintodaymagazine.com. For more information, call the Tustin Area Senior Center at (714) 573-3340. To donate to its programs, call Garrison DeVine at (714) 426-2453. The Villa Park City Council elected Jordan Wu mayor for 2026, effective Dec. 16. Robert Frackelton will serve as mayor pro tem. Remaining council members are Nicol Jones, Kelly McBride and Crystal Miles. SWD reorganizes The Serrano Water District (SWD) Board of Directors performed its annual board reorganization on Dec. 16. Greg Mills will serve as board president and Robbie Pitts as vice president for 2026. The board also includes Brad Reese, Frank Bryant and Jerry Haight. Jerry Vilander serves as general manager for SWD. Dr. Stephen Glass was elected president of the OUSD Board of Trustees, Dec. 15. Glass has served on the board since 2024 and expects to continue the strong leadership of his predecessor with guidance from the board, faculty and staff. "OUSD must be actionoriented as well as future-oriented, keeping students safe and educating them to be future-ready," he says. The board elected Andrea Yamasaki as vice president and Sara Pelly as clerk. SchoolsFirst opens application period for member scholarships SchoolsFirst Federal Credit Union invites student members to apply for its annual Member Education Award scholarships by Jan. 31. Each year, SchoolsFirst FCU awards scholarships to eligible high school seniors, college freshmen and college sophomores to help offset the cost of books, tuition and other educational expenses. Applicants must be members of SchoolsFirst FCU, enrolled in an accredited college or university for the fall term and have completed no more than 60 college credits. Awards are based on academic performance, course rigor, community and school involvement, leadership and letters of recommendation. Eligible students may reapply each year as long as they continue to meet the program requirements. Established in 2000, the Member Education Award program reflects the credit union’s longstanding commitment to improving the lives of its members and supporting their long-term educational goals. In 2025, SchoolsFirst FCU awarded $210,500 in scholarships to 248 students. For more details or to apply, visit the Member Education Award page on the Credit Union website, schoolsfirstfcu.org. "Night at the Museum" features Scouting in Orange County By Guy Ball Scouting has shaped generations of young people in Orange County, emphasizing values of citizenship, outdoor skills, and community service that remain as relevant today as they were when the movement began locally in the early 20th century. At the Tustin Area Museum’s January “Night at the Museum” presentation, longtime Scouting leader John Nielsen will speak about a journey through more than a century of Orange County Scouting history, woven together with his six decades of Scouting service. Nielsen’s connection to Scouting began in 1963, when he joined as a Cub Scout. He progressed on to Boy Scouts, where he distinguished himself through dedication and leadership. In 1972, he earned the rank of Eagle Scout, joining a lineage of Orange County youth who have gone on to serve their communities, country and professions with distinction. “Scouting gave me opportunities to lead, to serve, and to grow,” Nielsen said. “It also connected me to the history of this community in ways I didn’t fully appreciate until much later.” That appreciation deepened when his own son—now also an Eagle Scout—joined Cub Scouts. Nielsen returned to active leadership as a Cubmaster, eventually continuing on as Scoutmaster of Troop 243 in North Tustin. What began as volunteering for his son became a lifelong commitment. Nielsen has remained an active Scout volunteer ever since, and currently serves as the Council Advancement Chair for the Orange County Council, Scouting America, helping guide thousands of youth on their path to advancement and personal growth. Nielsen will talk about the broader context of Orange County Scouting history. Organized Scouting took root locally in the 1910s, paralleling the county’s own growth from agricultural communities into thriving cities. Over the decades, Orange County Scouts have supported war bond drives, assisted during natural disasters, preserved open spaces, and contributed millions of hours of community service. The audience will learn how Scouting adapted alongside Orange County’s transformation— expanding programs, welcoming diverse communities, and emphasizing leadership development that prepares youth for modern challenges. From early camping trips in the Santa Ana Mountains to service projects that have shaped parks, schools and civic spaces, Scouting has left a lasting imprint on the region. “You could see how Scouting isn’t just an organization, it’s part of Orange County’s fabric,” Nielsen said. This "Night at the Museum" meeting will be held on Friday, Jan. 30 from 7 to 8:30 p.m. at the Tustin Area Museum, 345 El Camino Real. Tickets are $20 per person, $15 for members, and $5 for students under 17. Due to the limited seating area, tickets are expected to sell out quickly. For more information and tickets visit TustinHistory.com or call the museum, (714) 7315701. A more cautious councilmember, Arianna Barrios, pointed out that there were still departments and funds running on a deficit that needed to be fully funded before reinstating things the city wants. Needs before wants “Before we get too excited about surpluses,” she observed, “we also have a lot of underfunded budget items that we had to pull from, or that we had to not fully fund in order to make the budget. Now, fortunately, yes, we have the surplus. But under our new fiscal policy, shouldn’t we prioritize going back and funding those first when we have the abil- "Budget" continued from page 1 ity to do so?” Those discussions will be had more in depth in the coming months, as the city begins the process of preparing the budget for 2027. Beginning next month, the city manager will start meeting with department heads to discuss needs for the upcoming year. In March and April, budget study sessions will begin, focusing first on the general fund, and then move to discussion of capital improvement and other funds, before a preliminary budget is brought before the council in May, to be finalized in June. “I feel optimistic about the state of our budget as we operate this year,” Gyllenhammer advised. “Structurally, I think we can get to a place where we're running Orange well.” A holiday party for Orange Park Acres Women’s League members and guests was held Dec. 14 at the Schmidt residence. Left to right are Karen and Bob Ashford, Russ and Carla Garcia, Diane and Ron Hoffer, Debbie Bau and Michelle and Michael Schmidt. OPAWL holds holiday party Food is distributed at the Tustin Senior Center. Scoutmaster John Nielsen Boy Scout Jamboree held in Newport Beach in 1953 Photo courtesy OC Archives
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MjA1MjUy