Submitted by Maria Reed, Administrator
Happy Fall, y’all! We kicked off Autumn with our annual bake sale at Old Fashioned Saturday Night. We sincerely appreciate all of the donations of baked goods from the community and the handcrafted coat racks. The bake sale and raffle were very successful! All donations and monies earned from our fund-raisers help us keep activities going as well as help us continue to serve our senior citizens through our nutrition program.
Back to the colors of fall at the Rock Port Senior Center. Lots of exciting things are coming your way, including menu changes, holiday events, live entertainment, a fish fry, and more.
Something I am starting at the center is “National Food Day.” Look for National Chocolate Day October 28, where we will serve a chocolatey dessert with a spooky hint, “Worms in Dirt.” (That is chocolate pudding with ground Oreos and gummy worms.)
Our first fish fry is scheduled for Sunday, October 26. We will serve at the center from 11:00 a.m. until 1:00 p.m. or until supplies run out. We will have catfish nuggets or chicken strips with cole slaw and baked beans for a free-will donation. We are also asking for donations of desserts to serve. If you wish to make a monetary donation for the supplies needed, please drop it by the center. If you wish to volunteer to help serve or cook, contact Maria at the center, 660-744-5812. We appreciate all of our donors and volunteers.
Other big events coming are our two main holiday dinners. Thanksgiving at the center will be November 12 this year. It has been moved earlier in the month due to mandatory administrator meetings. At the Thanksgiving dinner we will have a vote on what dessert to serve at our Christmas dinner. There will also be a door prize. Every day the month of November you come in, your name will go in a drawing for the prize. Our Christmas dinner will be held Monday, December 22. We have changed that this year to allow us to have live entertainment during the serving time. We are pleased to announce that The Ladies in Black will be here to sing Christmas favorites while we dine and socialize. The Advisory Committee is cooking up some fun for December as well.
Bingo will continue through-out winter this year, but for the months of November, December, January, and February it will only be once per month and will float depending on weather. I have been collecting cell phone numbers in the hopes of being able to use text alerts similar to what the schools use to send out notifications of closures and event announcements. If you would like to be on that list, please call the center and provide your name and cell phone number. We will continue to use KMA, St. Joseph news station and Facebook for such announcements as well.
We are in need of volunteer delivery drivers! We have a wonderful set of volunteers here at the center, but we are in need of members of the community from the next generation to start stepping up to help out. As we lose volunteers, we need to be able to replace them. All of the volunteer hours are considered a match for the grants we get from the state and federal level and are required for us to remain in compliance with our contracts. Delivery drivers may also eat free for the day they deliver. So, not only are you helping a homebound senior get a meal they may otherwise go without, you are also helping us keep the funds we get to supply those meals. An added bonus is that you get a free home cooked meal. If you know someone who may be interested, or are interested yourself, please reach out. Homeschool parents, stay-at-home moms, church groups, office clerks, or anyone who can spare 20-40 minutes is a good fit. Once again, thank you for all you do!!
