CENTER: Assist the seniors

The Lake City Center in Coeur d’Alene is a senior center, and more. Monday through Friday, seniors can share a meal for a nominal donation, and are offered activities and classes too numerous to list here. The Center’s kitchen also prepares home delivered meals for home-bound seniors.

On special nights and weekends, the center is available for special events, such as weddings and birthday parties. Those renting the center provide the revenue stream needed to fund the center’s operations. More than 1,500 turkey dinners, with all the trimmings, were served and/or delivered to the public on Thanksgiving. The kitchen is a busy place.

All of the appliances must work perfectly to prepare all those meals. Last week the 21-year-old freezer had to be repaired, again. The commercial stove, donated to the center in 1997, also needed repairs and most likely will need to be replaced in the near future. Bob Small, the new manager, has inherited some challenges, particularly the extensively used kitchen and not enough money to buy new equipment.

I’m a long-term care ombudsman working at the Area Agency on Aging, and I know how important the center is to many senior citizens that depend on those home-delivered meals and a welcoming place to interact with others.

Bob didn’t put me up to this letter; it was my idea. I don’t know how to solve the appliance problem, but if you have a possible solution, I’m sure he would like to hear from you. Bob@lakecitycenter.org or 208-667-4628.

JAN NOYES

Coeur d’Alene