Center asks for donations to help maintain through pandemic 

 

The “new norm” of social isolation during the COVID-19 pandemic isn’t hindering the staff at A Gathering Place Senior Activity Center from feeding senior citizens who are hungry.

Even though the facility is temporarily closed, it’s now offering daily curbside meal pickup at the center, located at the end of Jean Drive, for any Boyle County resident who is 60 or older. 

“We’re making sure our seniors are fed,” said Executive Director Ben Guerrant. 

In addition, the center is continuing its home-delivered meals program. However, the staff is making deliveries instead of volunteers, as a way to limit person-to-person contact, he said.

“The resources coming to us are limited,” Guerrant said, so the center has to limit curbside pickup to one meal per person per day, and it’s on a first-come first-served basis.

Meals will be available 11 a.m.-1 p.m. Monday through Friday. “We ask that everyone remain in their cars,” Guerrant said, and someone will bring the meals outside.

“We want to make sure the meals are getting to the right people in this time of need.” Therefore drivers won’t be allowed to pick up several meals at one time to take to groups of seniors unless they are approved by the center to do so.

Many people have volunteered to help with food deliveries, Guerrant said. “They want to help the seniors. I would love, love, love to have as many folks as possible,” to deliver meals. “But right now, it’s just not safe.”

The best way to help seniors who depend on the center is to donate money so it can serve all the meals that will be needed over time, Guerrant said. “We don’t know how long this will last. … This is a really simple and effective way of helping someone.”

Anyone who wants to support the meal programs “because of the uniqueness of this situation” during the  COVID-19 pandemic, can go to agatheringplace.org and click on the banner. Guerrant said all money will go directly to A Gathering Place for its delivery and curbside meal pickup programs.

“This is not time for politics or time for selfishness,” he said. “It’s time to just be a good neighbor.”