Seniors need more than food

HAYDEN - As Erika Schwartz stepped through the front door of the Hayden GEMS Senior Center Friday morning, she smiled and sighed.

"It's nice and warm in here," she said, and walked across the room to pour herself a cup of hot coffee.

More seniors filtered into the storefront turned drop-in center, some to socialize, others in anticipation of a Fit & Fall exercise class, aimed at improving the balance of older adults.

Standing below a wall sign warning of a 48-person room capacity "including staff and volunteers," Schwartz, of Hayden, said the center needs more space.

"We have wonderful programs here, a wonderful lunch on Thursday, but we need a bigger room. It's an important place for us," Schwartz said. "I don't hardly go anywhere. The most I have is here and the church."

Trying to provide programs for older adults, especially a weekly luncheon, inside the small center has proved challenging for volunteer director Barbara Tennery.

The total space is 1,800 square feet, including the bathrooms and tiny 187-square-foot kitchen.

The Thursday noon meal is subsidized completely by community donations and a charge of $3 per guest for most. The lunch costs a dollar more for those who haven't paid a $12 annual registration fee.

There are 200 paid registered members and another 500 listed members who don't receive the lunch discount or the center's newsletter.

Businesses and individuals sponsor meals or parts of meals, Tennery said.

"Those sponsors have been a saving grace," she said.

But they need more of them.

Donations of food and funds have dropped dramatically in the past year, Tennery said, forcing the group to dip into reserves to fund an expansion.

To complicate matters, the Hayden center doesn't qualify for meal assistance dollars from the Area Agency on Aging.

"They did find funding for us if we expanded," Tennery said.

A bigger center would also provide other sources of revenue, including room to lease out for public use. Right now, it's too small to accommodate many events.

"It's a Catch-22," Tennery said.

Meanwhile, the luncheon program is running in the red.

Last year, providing the weekly meal left the group $3,600 behind in labor and food costs alone. They pay a cook to come in 10 hours each week to prepare the meals and handle the inventory.

An anonymous donation of $2,500 was received at the end of the year, closing the gap some, but still leaving a shortfall.

"We need the community and the businesses to come in and help us," Tennery said.

They usually serve 30 meals each week, a full house for the luncheon.

Transportation is available for those who call for it.

For most who attend, it's more than an opportunity for nutritious food.

"They're coming for the companionship," Tennery said. "My dearest friend that just passed away, her husband is coming to lunch now. It's not fun to be alone."

Most are on fixed incomes, she said.

"I've had a few who say that's the only real meal they get each week," Tennery said. "They're just wonderful people, and they need the time and attention."

The center's board of directors is embarking on a drive to plan and fund an expansion, although Tennery said they don't know how that will look just yet.

With more room, they could afford to feed more people and provide more volunteer opportunities.

For several years, the group thought they would be moving into the Hayden Lake Elementary School. The city considered purchasing the long-vacant building from the school district. Those plans fell through last fall when the district put the old school back into use as a kindergarten center.

Tennery said the cost to expand into 5,000 square feet of storefront space adjacent to the existing center was too high to consider.

"What we really need is to get help with the meals program, to not have that draining the funds that we're saving for a building fund," she said.

The drop-in center, 9428 N. Government Way, is open from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday, and from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. on Friday.

Information: 762-7052