By Rose Chavez
PREVIEW Columnist
Archuleta Seniors Inc. (ASI), also known as the Pagosa Senior Center, will be hosting a public meeting Thursday, Feb. 7, starting at 2 p.m. at 451 Hot Springs Blvd. for the Older Americans Act programs and services that are primarily funded through the San Juan Basin Area Agency on Aging.
Stakeholders from the community are invited, including those 60 and above in addition to their family caregivers age 18 and older.
Planning issues that will be discussed include: Meals on Wheels, meal sites, transportation, snow shoveling, home repair, legal assistance, ombudsman support, low vision, tech classes, dental assistance, Medicare, Medicaid, counseling options, information referral assistance, fall prevention, support groups, caregiver services and community education resources. Light refreshments will be provided.
VITA tax volunteers to assist with senior tax returns Feb 25
VITA tax volunteers will be coming to the Senior Center on Feb. 25 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. to prepare seniors’ (age 55 or better) 2022 tax returns for free. Appointments are available, but are limited and will be made on a first-come, first-served basis.
Appointment schedule:
• 9 a.m.: seven appointments.
• 10:30 a.m. six appointments.
• Noon to 12:30 p.m.: lunch.
• 12:30 p.m.: seven appointments.
• 2 p.m.: six appointments.
Participants must have income of $60,000 or less and must bring all documents in order for us to complete the return. Participants must have ID in the form of driver’s license plus Social Security card (or copy) or a 1099 SSA form. Please contact us at (970) 264-2167 to check availability for appointments.
Free art class to
celebrate Valentine’s Day
The next free art class at the Senior Center will be Tuesday, Jan. 31, at 1:15 p.m. No reservations are required, but space is limited, so be sure to be there by 1:15 p.m.
We will be making a wreath from paper hearts. No art skill is required for this class, just a desire to have fun and make something pretty.
All materials will be provided, including the scissors to cut out the hearts. Templates will be provided to make a perfect heart shape, or you can draw your own. All ages are invited, so if the grandkids are still in town, bring them along.
Our teacher will again be Denise Fisk, who is a retired elementary art teacher from Iowa. She loves art and loves sharing art techniques with her classes. So, come to the Senior Center for some fun, exchange ideas with friends and see your success in creating a piece of Valentine art.
Volunteers needed to shovel snow for seniors
With the influx of all the recent winter weather, there is a growing need to support senior citizens with snow shoveling services. To that end, the Senior Center is recruiting community volunteers to assist seniors in need during the remainder of the winter months. If you are interested and capable, please contact us at (970) 264-2167.
COVID-19 test
kits available
Stop by the Senior Center to pick up a pack of five free COVID-19 tests for your personal use. These kits are available to anyone in the public who needs affordable access for health promotion and disease prevention.
Text reservations
Text us at (970) 264-2167. Don’t forget that we also offer a convenient texting service for you to communicate with us. 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.
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 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.
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.
Community Cafe menu
Thursday,Jan. 26 — Meatloaf with gravy, mashed potatoes, sweet corn, garden salad, fruit and milk.
Friday, Jan. 27 — Pork chile Colorado, Spanish rice, garden salad, banana pudding and milk.
Monday, Jan. 30 — Cod piccata, glazed carrots, garden salad, fruit, German chocolate cake and milk.
Tuesday Jan. 31 — Pork chops with sauteed apples, sweet potatoes, dinner roll, garden salad, fruit and milk.
Wednesday, Feb. 1 — Chicken and mushroom crepes, lemon asparagus with toasted almonds, garden salad, fruit and milk.
Thursday, Feb. 2 — Vegetable lasagna with garlic bread, fresh berries, carrot cake, garden salad and milk.
Friday, Feb. 3 — Frito pie with cheese, coleslaw, cornbread, peach cobbler, garden salad and milk.
Grab-N-Go meals
Grab-N-Go meal 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 $10 helps to sustain our program. No one will be turned away for their inability to donate. For ages 59 and younger, the cost is $10.50. 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.
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/.
