By Rose Chavez | PREVIEW Columnist
Thank you, friends and community, for your ongoing support of the Pagosa Senior Center.
To provide additional options for dining with us, we will now be open for service Monday through Thursday for dining in and the pickup option will be available throughout the week as well as Friday.
We ask that you please call or text us and indicate if you will be dining in or picking up a Grab-n-Go when you leave your message. For more information, contact us at (970) 264-2167.
Mobile food pantry service available for seniors
The Senior Center would like to remind the community about our mobile food pantry services we provide in partnership with Archuleta County MET to seniors age 60 and older throughout most areas of Archuleta County.
In order to participate in this program, community members must visit with Barbara Noriega at the Senior Center, located in the Ross Aragon Community Center, to fill out an application to qualify for hot meal delivery service and/or the mobile pantry service. The application, called the dining assessment form, is also available on our website at the bottom of the Community Cafe page: http://www.psseniors.org/community-cafeacute.html.
For more information, contact us at (970) 264-2167.
Big band benefit
Save the date: Sept. 23, from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m., will be a benefit for the Senior Center.
Put on your dancing shoes and join us for an evening of bebop and boogie-woogie big band-era music, featuring Bob Hemenger and Debbee Tucker, along with other talented musicians. We have some great prizes for our raffle. Proceeds will benefit Archuleta Seniors Inc. (ASI) and the Senior Center. Tickets for the event are available at www.pagosacenter.org.
Farmers Market vouchers
Farmers Market vouchers for seniors continue to be available, and now $50 is offered instead of $25.
If you love to shop at the Farmers Market, are 60 or older, or if you are 200 percent of poverty, please call Debbie at (970) 403-2164 at the Area Agency on Aging to put your name on the list for $50 in vouchers to redeem for local foods. Then, visit the Pagosa Farmers Market any Saturday during the growing season (June through September) to pick up your $50 voucher to support the local food artisans and growers in southwest Colorado and northern New Mexico.
The Pagosa Farmers Market is located on the third row of the East Side Market and is open only on Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. through September.
Text reservations
The Community Cafe is now accepting text messaging for meal reservations, cancellations and/or communication of any kind. Text us at (970) 264-2167. When texting, please include your name, phone number and the days you want a meal. If you are calling to cancel a reservation, please include your name, phone number and the days you want to cancel. Texting services are available for dining-in meal reservations, Grab-n-Go meals and Meals on Wheels recipients.
Mahjong
Mahjong is a 19th century Chinese tile-based game that is commonly played with four players. Each player receives 13 tiles with a goal to make matching sets and pairs (like poker). To win, a player must form four sets and one pair. Come to the Senior Center to learn or play every Tuesday at 1:15 p.m. Proof of vaccination is required.
Medicare call by
appointment
For anyone who needs help enrolling and navigating Medicare plans, we help with parts A, B and D. We can also help you with fraud concerns and troubleshooting any billing issues you may be having. By appointment only. Please call our Medicare line at (970) 264-0501, ext 4.
Bridge
The longest-played bridge game in Archuleta County takes place on Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays at 1 p.m. Bridge is a four-player card game with partners sitting opposite each other around a table. It is a trick-taking card game using a standard 52-card deck. Come alone or bring a partner. Proof of vaccinations is required.
Volunteers needed
The Community Cafe at the Senior Center is requesting volunteers to help with greeting customers. Please call or text us at (970) 264-2167 to volunteer or for more information.
ASI board vacancy
The ASI Board of Directors has one vacant position open for financial oversight and policy implementation for the organization and Senior Center staff. Terms are three years with an option to renew for an additional term. Potential candidates should be at least 55 years of age or older and must have a passion for adult and aging services.
Community Cafe menu
Thursday, Sept. 15 — Teriyaki salmon with fried rice, sauteed zucchini, dinner roll with butter, garden salad and fruit.
Friday, Sept. 16 — Yankee pot roast with vegetables, wilted spinach, garden salad, fruit and Mississippi mud pie.
Monday, Sept. 19 — Ginger lime shrimp with jasmine rice, Caribbean beans, tropical fruit salad, garden salad and fortune cookies.
Tuesday, Sept. 20 — Beef spaghetti with green beans, focaccia bread, garden salad, fruit and German chocolate cake.
Wednesday, Sept. 21 – Barbecue chicken with cornbread, baked beans, garden salad and fruit.
Thursday, Sept. 22 – Hawaiian pork with peppers, coconut rice, black beans, mango salad, garden salad and fruit.
Friday, Sept. 23 — Vegetarian potato and onion tart, braised red cabbage, garden salad, fruit and carrot cake.
Grab-N-Go meals
Grab-N-Go meals reservations and cancellations are required. Please call or text by 9 a.m. the morning of the day you want to pick up a meal. A suggested donation of $5 helps to sustain our program. No one will be turned away for their inability to donate. For ages 59 and younger, the cost is $10. Please call or text us at (970) 264-2167 to make a reservation.
Meals on Wheels
We deliver fresh Meals on Wheels five days a week (and provide frozen Meals on Wheels for weekends) to homebound Archuleta County residents. Call or text us at (970) 264-2167.
Requesting donations
ASI has an immediate monetary need to support ongoing operations and programming that provide critical services to some of the most vulnerable in Archuleta County. Please consider donating to ASI.
You may mail your donation to P.O. Box 3444, Pagosa Springs CO 81147 or please visit our website, http://www.psseniors.org/. Donation checks can be written to Archuleta Seniors Inc. We are located at 451 Hot Springs Blvd. For more information about ASI, please visit http://www.psseniors.org/.
