"We've had a lot of people come through for events, but it's been kind of slow. We are losing money being open because obviously, we have to pay our staff. But we love being open. We love having the families here," said Melissa Telemeco, executive director of Fresno Discovery Center.
Telemeco says the non-profit has applied for every grant it can to stay afloat and has worked on a tight budget, but pandemic closures were a major blow to museums and science centers nationwide.
"It was really, really tough. We lost not just admissions coming in. We were completely closed. There was nothing we were allowed to do. So bills don't go away, but any source of revenue certainly did. Then all of our volunteers were gone as well, " Telemeco said.
They are looking for volunteers or service organizations to help with everything from education to maintenance.
They're thankful visitors can once again enjoy the facility.
"It's really cute. It's kind of like a science center that has a lot of toys for hands-on play so I think he really enjoyed it," said Alice Yin.
Staff members want to provide hands-on learning in central Fresno for all ages.
"We are changing this place to be a full-on science center the whole family will enjoy. So at the moment, we actually have new exhibits. We are setting them up right now about nanotechnology. There's really cool stuff for the kids to be doing, but it's fascinating stuff, and the adults are going to love it," Telemeco said.
A Fresno non-profit hoping to go in a new direction with the help of the community.
For now, the Fresno Discovery Center is open Saturday and Monday mornings. They hope to expand their hours in the future. For more information on visiting the center or volunteering go, click here.