Just the Basics
The Red Oak Senior Center isn’t fancy; they don’t intend to be. They aren’t looking to build an aerobics studio or swimming pool. They don’t want to buy computers or gaming systems, and they don’t plan on bringing in five-star entertainment from Hollywood or Branson. Rather, they have one simple goal — keep the center running.
The center, located at 109 E. Washington Ave. in a modest brick building with a single red and gold striped awning, is striving to raise $3,000 for day-to-day upkeep. Last year, their rent increased from $500 to $550, and while $50 extra a month might not sound like a lot, for this nonprofit organization, it’s just the tip of the iceberg. The center spends $9,300 per year on rent, insurance, utilities and supplies, yet only makes generates $5,700 in revenue, creating a $3,600 annual deficit.
Gary Walters, Red Oak Senior Center Council President, said he approached the Red Oak City Council on two separate occasions seeking $250 extra per month, on top of the $300 that is already provided by the city. Despite his efforts, the center was denied the increase. So, they took matters into their own hands.
Last month, Walters and the center’s manager Carolyn Lombard sent letters to prominent businesses in the community, explaining their problem and asking for donations.
“More money wouldn’t change day-to-day operations; it wouldn’t give us enough funds to go places with the members or have extra entertainment come in,” Lombard said. “It would just make it easier.”
So far they have received eight responses to the letter, which led to $590 in donations, something Lombard and Walters agreed was a positive sign for less than a month’s time.
“We’re always hopeful here,” Lombard said. “We stay upbeat and always keep a positive attitude; it’s all we can do.”
Aside from the city’s $300 a month, the center receives $100 monthly from Southwest 8 Senior Services in Council Bluffs, the organization that holds the tax number and provides assistance to the Red Oak Senior Center when possible. They also get a little money from two different hearing clinics in town, and they hold four fundraisers per year.
Run primarily by volunteers, the center’s main service is providing meals to local senior citizens. They offer one meal a day Monday through Friday for $3.25. They also have meals available for delivery to the homebound and meals sent to Regency Retirement Residence in Red Oak. Lombard said about 25 meals are served per day, with about 3,800 total last year.
“We have a lot of people who say raise the price of meals to make ends meet, well that doesn’t help us because what we get in from the meals has to go back to Southwest 8 to pay for the food,” Lombard said.
Walters added the meal price is merely a suggestion.
“We don’t deny anyone a meal if they can’t afford it,” he said. “We just would never do that.”
The center also provides free foot and blood pressure and flu clinics on a regular basis, and as importantly, there is a social aspect involved that Lombard said keeps people coming every day.
“It becomes like a family,” Lombard said. “Some of the people who come here, this is the only outside contact they get.”
On a typical day, Lombard said people arrive at around 10:30 a.m., they play games, do puzzles, exercise — something Lombard said can be a challenge, and on certain days, they hold a Bible study, watch movies or play bingo. They then eat at noon, clean up and then some people will leave and others will stay and socialize.
Dorothy Hamman, a local senior who has been going to the center for a few years, said the center provides her a little getaway. Her husband has Alzheimer’s and stays at the Good Samaritan in Red Oak, and without the people she sees at the center, she said she’s mostly alone.
“It gives me a lot of comfort to mingle with other people here,” Hamman said. “I don’t know what I would do without it.”
Hamman and other seniors including Ed Helm, who has been volunteering and socializing at the center for 10 years with his wife Jane, said they came for the meals, but the center is much more than that.
The puzzles are one of Hamman’s favorite things to do at the center. She said they have done about 100 so far this year. Once they finish a puzzle, they box it up and donate to a toy drive for children’s Christmas gifts.
“Everything is a team effort,” Hamman said. “We clean up and help package meals, and Ed delivers meals to the homebound sometimes. It’s truly a great place.”