Senior center volunteers fill vital role for elderly

Christmas is over, but the giving spirit that typically comes with it is not. Senior citizens at the Jackson Senior Center and Cape Girardeau Senior Center are the recipients of that generosity, and what stands out most is that other seniors are providing the service. Their volunteer work includes food packing and delivery, among other things.

What would make people who are themselves elderly spend time assisting other elderly people? Like anyone else, seniors enjoy touching the lives of people who need it most in the way they need it most. The meals program fits the bill. Lois Pierce would know. She has volunteered at the Jackson center for 12 years, providing such services as packing meals, serving beverages at lunch and helping at parties and dances.

Linda Tansil is a former Southeast Missouri State University educator. She, too, has volunteered at the Cape center for years. Instead of teaching college students, she's now reaching seniors by delivering meals and helping with technology. You reap what you sow, and her good will is reciprocated. Speaking of the senior citizens she has gotten to know, she told the Southeast Missourian, "They're so sweet," elaborating, "They worry about us in the bad weather, asking if we're sure we should be out in this, but what are they going to do, not eat? If I could, I'd take some of them home and keep them."

The beauty of distributing meals, with its accompanying nourishment and camaraderie, is that it creates a situation where one person checks on an elderly person regularly, which is essential. The healthy meals individuals receive are, of course, also necessary. These centers recognize how vital all this is, and they do their part to make it happen for as many as possible. Everyone should be so fortunate.

To increase the number of those being well-served, additional volunteers are welcome. For information about lending a hand, call the Cape Girardeau Senior Center at (573) 335-1352 or the Jackson Senior Center at (573) 243-4241.