Small children sitting at a table raise their hands. They want Cheez-its to go along with their apple wedges. The 25 tykes recently finished their homework and soon they will exercise, says Jennifer Barraza. Barraza varies the activities of the after-school program, shifting the animated bunch from the Firehouse Recreation Center’s computer room to the outdoor play area and the large lunchroom. The petite college student coordinates the four-hour program for La Union del Pueblo Entero, an organization founded by César Chávez.

Just through the lobby doors, LUPE Organizer Laura Caballero stands, wearing a pinstriped blazer over a white blouse. Caballero just returned from King City. When police tried to evict some teenagers because of alleged gang ties, Caballero stepped in. LUPE organizers often serve as bridges between the community and government agencies like police departments.

The LUPE Firehouse is both a place to study and hang out for youth and seniors as well as a nerve center for community organizing. But it may be cut short.

Looking to save money in 2004, the City chose LUPE to run the Firehouse. Officials couldn’t afford to run the center at the time, so they leased the facility to LUPE for $1 a year. In exchange for the cheap rent, LUPE agreed to run the city’s senior and youth programs.

But now that the City’s finances are in good shape, Salinas city staff suggested giving LUPE the boot. On Feb. 14, staff recommended the Recreation-Park Commission return control of the facility to the city. Now, the City and LUPE are discussing a possible partnership. The City’s initial stance, however, frustrates some LUPE staff.

“It doesn’t make sense,” community organizer Nicolasa Alvarez says. Other recreation centers, like those in Closter Park and Central Park, Alvarez says, need more programs. The Firehouse is thriving. “Help the ones that need help. Don’t build what is already built.”

LUPE offers services that go beyond what the City offered when it ran the Firehouse. Last year LUPE opened a PG&E neighborhood payment center, allowing people to pay bills in person and request bilingual information. LUPE also recently received a grant from KaBOOM!, a national nonprofit organization, to build a new playground. Hundreds of volunteers will build the playground behind the Firehouse on March 31, as part of Chávez’s birthday celebration.

Additionally, LUPE taps into grants from the California Endowment and California’s First Five Commission. The City chose LUPE to operate the center largely because of its financial security.  

“There are a lot of organizations that are struggling to survive,” Alvarez says. “This organization is not. It’s stable.”