Waterbury Area Senior Center weathers pandemic storm

Jan. 7, 2022  |  By Cheryl Casey

Members of the garden club, A River Runs Through It, pack holiday greenery gifts to send to Meals on Wheels program participants. Photo courtesy Waterbury Area Senior Center

A lot has happened in the last year, and few local social service organizations know that as keenly as the Waterbury Area Senior Center. 

But as the COVID-19 pandemic and its associated disruptions and challenges linger for almost two years, those at the center’s helm report that they are staying on course.

The organization begins 2022 with no turnover on its board of directors and a now-experienced set of officers, all of whom have worked diligently with staff and volunteers to breathe renewed energy and clarity into the senior center’s operations. 

The center’s board held its annual meeting in late November via Zoom and it looked and sounded very different from the previous year. Board members worked in concert to provide efficient and informative presentations. Board Chair Justin Blackman ran the meeting, and Treasurer Maureen White and members Lindsay Bolger and Barbara Barra shared detailed information about the organization’s finances, Meals on Wheels program, and various events. 

A slide presentation highlighted key points, many of which Blackman labeled “milestones.” They included the return of congregate meals at the Senior Center last June. 

“The isolation caused by COVID was particularly hard on our seniors, and you could really feel the joy in the room that day,” Blackman reported. 

He confirmed that everyone who attends these lunches are vaccinated. Currently, the meals are served Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays.

Even when congregate meals couldn’t happen, staff and volunteers continued Meals on Wheels deliveries without interruption.  “We never missed a single day’s deliveries throughout COVID,” Blackman noted proudly. 

Speaking on behalf of the Meals on Wheels program and its volunteers, Bolger explained, “We were diligent, we were thoughtful, we were careful, and we were really privileged to be able to continue to remain in contact with our clients.”

The Meals on Wheels program is available to residents aged 60 and over in Waterbury, Duxbury, Moretown, Bolton, and Middlesex who have difficulties or limited opportunities pertaining to food shopping and preparation. Eligible seniors can select to have meals delivered up to five days per week, Monday through Friday, in accordance with their particular needs. A Friday delivery can include something to heat for a weekend meal. 

The program currently serves 103 clients. In her presentation, Bolger emphasized that Meals on Wheels is much more than a transactional drop-off by a delivery driver. Rather, volunteers also take the time to do informal wellness checks, connect seniors with additional services, and provide a few minutes of pleasant conversation, she explained. 

Bolger used a current menu to showcase the kinds of meals Lead Cook Donna Barr prepares and which “receive really rave reviews.” Main dishes range from roast beef sandwiches and shepherd’s pie to broccoli mushroom quiche and blueberry pancakes. 

“Donna works so hard to keep our menus exciting and interesting, filled with variety and an array of truly delicious foods that she makes from scratch,” Bolger said. 

Volunteers and partnerships

Blackman and Bolger both emphasized the value and significant contributions of volunteers to the Senior Center’s operations. According to Blackman, volunteer time over the last year amounted to the equivalent of 1.5 full-time employees, or 42% of all hours worked at the center. 

He gave a shout-out to volunteer Marybeth Longo of Duxbury, who “really does deserve her own special star in this [volunteer] category” for doing everything from helping in the kitchen to coordinating drivers’ schedules for meal deliveries. 

Bolger, who also volunteers as one of those drivers, admitted it “has been one of the most fulfilling and rewarding volunteer commitments that I’ve ever made.”

Barra explained how, in addition to the meal deliveries and congregate meals, other milestones for the Senior Center in 2021 involved popular activities and events. One of the most popular programs has been Movie Night – “or, more accurately, movie matinee,” quipped Barra – which is open to both seniors and their caregivers on the first Sunday of each month at the Senior Center. And on Mondays and Wednesdays, after the congregate meal, many seniors stay for “lively and competitive” games of dominoes, Barra added.

She also described “some wonderful partnerships” with other organizations that were helping area seniors “lead healthy and meaningful lives.” For example, Central Vermont Home Health comes to the Senior Center to conduct foot-care clinics every six weeks, as well as an annual flu shot clinic. The Vermont Disaster Animal Response Team donates pet food for monthly delivery by the Meals on Wheels drivers to seniors with pets. 

Waterbury Historical Society has maintained ongoing programming for the Senior Center, producing short history newsletters to be included with meal deliveries and arranging presentations and outings. 

Not out of the financial woods yet

The second half of the meeting focused on Treasurer Maureen White’s financial report and Blackman’s subsequent parsing of the challenges and opportunities presented by the current financial situation. 

White explained that although the Senior Center ended its 2021 fiscal year with a net surplus of $74,000, that outcome is deceptive. Over three-quarters of that sum, or 18% of the center’s total revenue, could be credited to a one-time COVID-19 relief grant. Another one-time windfall of just over $20,000 from the sale of the center’s automobile also helped boost revenue. 

Looking ahead to 2022, White explained how the cost of the expected meals and services to be provided, minus the reimbursement per meal from the Federal Older Americans Act, leaves the senior center with a funding shortfall of $7.67 per meal. That works out to about $200,000. Even with the 2021 surplus to apply this year, fundraising will need to exceed $100,000.  

Blackman outlined how the center has had to bear some new costs during the pandemic such as needing to use disposable meal containers while fundraising which relies heavily on events has fallen short.  “A pandemic is not great for fundraising,” he acknowledged. 

However, Blackman closed his remarks on an optimistic note and a call to action. He declared that the Senior Center would continue to restart programs and events this year “while maintaining an environment where everybody can thrive together.” 

At some point, the Senior Center will return to serving congregate meals five days a week which might be a stretch for the current pool of volunteers. “We may have to go to our wonderful community for some help,” admitted Blackman. 

Dominoes and cribbage games have returned as popular activities at the Waterbury Area Senior Center. Photo courtesy the Waterbury Area Senior Center

He asked everyone attending the annual meeting to talk about the Senior Center’s volunteer opportunities with five other people to spread the word. 

Blackman also expressed hope that the Senior Center can expand its partnerships with local organizations and businesses, especially to sponsor events. One example, he said, was when the Waterbury Historical Society organized a fall foliage driving tour for seniors and Waterbury Service Center owner Albert Caron donated the funds needed for transportation and a driver. 

One meeting attendee was Waterbury resident and state Rep. Theresa Wood, who also attended the 2020 annual meeting. That gathering was also held via Zoom. The board of directors at the time included many recently added members who were juggling learning their roles while having to deal with major shifts in operations due to the pandemic along with a staggering drop in fundraising. 

Given the predicament the center faced and the important role it plays in the community, Waterbury town leaders responded by budgeting an extra $10,000 for the center in its 2021 general fund budget. Voters on Town Meeting Day last year also approved an additional $20,000 for the center.  

The senior center’s annual budget includes revenue from taxpayers in each of the communities it serves. In addition to $30,000 from Waterbury, the center last year received $10,000 from Middlesex, $4,999 from Moretown, $2,500 from Duxbury, and $1,000 from Bolton, according to the center’s annual report. 

Wood praised the Senior Center board and staff for their professionalism, preparedness, and clarity in the year-end presentation. “This annual meeting is much different from last year’s,” she said. “What a turnaround the center has experienced in the last year.” 

Cheryl Casey is an Associate Professor of Communication at Champlain College and lives in Waterbury Center.