The pandemic took a toll on many financial aspects of peoples’ lives and it continues to do so for some such as the Rocky Senior Citizen Center.
Though the health effects of the pandemic have begun to slow down in recent months, the site manager for the Rocky Senior Citizen Center Lola Hart said they may have to lessen how often the center is open due to financial struggles.
“We get funding from the state, and I guess over the years, they’ve not been able to give us as much funding as they did at one time,” Hart said. “And of course there’s a pandemic, and we’re not getting the donations that we used to get. So it’s just kind of all accumulated.”
Rising costs of food and supplies have put a strain on the center to be able to continuously provide its patrons with daily meals.
While people can come into the center for their meal, the center also provides the service of delivering meals to those who are unable to leave their house.
“It is especially [important for] our homebound people because they don’t get out anyway,” Hart said. “And so it’s a plus for them if we can stay open so that they can get a meal at least five days a week.”
Currently, the center is having to face the decision of cutting back and opening up only four days a week, a move that could prove to have negative effects on the patrons. Hart stated that some Rocky residents rely on the center.
“They’d only have a meal four days a week, and since the homebound don’t get out, some of their family or somebody would have to bring them a meal in-if they even have family that lives close by.”
Being able to stay open five days a week and provide seniors with a daily meal is important, Hart said; however, the center can provide more than just that.
“For the people that come in, it’s social, you know? They get to talk to other people. Which, if they’re at home, like they were during the pandemic, they very seldom ever seen anybody,” Hart said. “So this is good for their mental health too, as well as having food.”
The center not only provides meals for its patrons but also has outreach programs set up to help seniors get their lawn mowed amongst a variety of other things.
As it stands, the Rocky Senior Citizen Center will need to raise $20,000 by August 2 of this year to continue operating five days a week.
To help achieve this goal, the center plans to host an Indian taco fundraiser event on July 18. The event will feature homemade fry bread for Indian tacos along with homemade peach cobbler as well.
All are ivited to the event and payment will be by donation. Specific times for the event have not been determined yet.
If you are unable to make it to the event but would still like to donate, the center will be accepting donations from now until August 2. Donations can be made in person, or checks can be mailed to 600 Main St., Rocky, Oklahoma.
“I think [people] should [donate to] help their community. Help their neighbor. Help people that can’t afford to go out and eat. That way they would at least have a meal.”