By Rose Chavez | PREVIEW Columnist
We’ve heard from our community that they’d love to have musical performances a few times a week to accompany our delicious and nutritious from-scratch meals. The Pagosa Senior Center currently has a piano that is in need of repair and we’d like to eventually undertake that repair (volunteers are welcome to help) to bring music back to the dining hall.
In the interim, we invite the community to reach out to us and schedule a free musical performance to serenade the seniors and community during lunch time. While take-out and Grab-N-Go meals are very popular among our community, we want to remind the community that we are open four days a week for dine-in services and we are hoping to sweeten the deal with music and community connection downtown in our dining hall at the Ross Aragon Community Center.
Stay tuned for a future schedule; we look forward to showcasing some of Pagosa’s local talent. If you are musically inclined/talented and would like to share your gifts, please contact rosa@psseniors.org.
Free seasonal art
class in March
The next free art class at the Senior Center will be Tuesday, March 28, at 1:15 p.m. No reservations are required, but space is limited, so be sure to be there by 1:15 p.m. The class will last approximately an hour and a half.
Have you ever wondered how lilies came to be at Easter? In this class, we’ll be exploring that answer as well as making some lilies from paper. No art skill is required for this class, just a desire to have fun and learn something about the history of the Easter lily while making your bouquet.
All materials will be provided including the scissors, paper and glue. Templates will be provided to trace and cut out the various parts that go into making this lovely lily. All ages are invited, so find a friend and bring them along. Our teacher will again be Denise Fisk, who is a retired elementary art teacher. So, come and hear about the traditions around the lily and help us bring springtime to life in this special way.
COVID-19 test
kits available
Stop by the Senior Center to pick up a pack of six free COVID-19 tests kits for your personal use. These kits are available to anyone in the public who needs affordable access for health promotion and disease prevention.
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 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.
Medicare call by
appointment
For anyone who needs help enrolling and navigating Medicare plans, the San Juan Basin Area Agency on Aging helps with parts A, B and D. They can also help you with fraud concerns and troubleshooting any billing issues you may be having. This service is available by appointment only. Please call the Medicare line at (970) 264-0501, ext 4.
Hand and foot card game
Whether you are new to hand and foot or interested in learning, please join us most Thursdays at 1:15 at the Senior Center.
This card game involves four rounds of playing until the final round is reached — some two to three hours later. Plan to stay and meet some new friends or catch up with those you have missed over the last couple of years.
No experience is necessary, so come willing to learn.
Kitchen and admin
volunteers needed
The Community Cafe at the Senior Center is requesting volunteers to help with our front desk pickup meals and in the office in administrative tasks. Please call or text us at (970) 264-2167 to volunteer or for more information.
Board vacancies
The Archuleta Seniors Inc. (ASI)Board of Directors has multiple vacant positions open.
The terms are three years with an option to renew for an additional term. Potential candidates should be at least 21 years of age or older and must have a passion for adult and aging services.
Community Cafe menu
Thursday, March 23 — Beef cottage pie with roasted butternut squash, garden salad, fruit and Milk.
Friday, March 24 — Pistachio-crusted cod fish, cannellini beans, garden salad, fruit, milk and Mississippi mud pie.
Monday, March 27 — Vegetarian tamale pie, cooked greens with onions, garden salad, fruit and milk.
Tuesday March 28 — Beef stroganoff with egg noodles, peas and carrots, garden salad, fruit and milk.
Wednesday, March 29 — Southern fried chicken and waffles with country gravy and maple syrup, garden salad, fruit and milk.
Thursday, March 30 — Carnitas tacos with refried beans, sour cream cheese, salsa, garden salad, fruit and milk.
Friday, March 31 — Baked tilapia with herb garlic butter sauce, jasmine rice, garden salad, fruit ambrosia 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 also. 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.
