Dolores Gallegos is retiring after 18 years at the Pagosa Senior Center. On Thursday, Oct. 12, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., the Senior Center will host a retirement lunch.
By Rose Chavez
PREVIEW Columnist
Dolores Gallegos has been serving the seniors here in Pagosa Springs for 18 years. She has been making exceptional salads and working hard with our team at Archuleta Seniors Inc. (ASI) to cut vegetables, clean lettuce, serve desserts and all of the rigorous cleaning duties that our kitchen requires.
On Thursday, Oct. 12, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., please join us in our dining hall as we bid this lovely, hardworking woman a happy retirement from a very long career in food service here at the Pagosa Senior Center.
We will be making Gallegos’ favorite meal, pork posole with all the fixings, and we will have a special cake and present her with a retirement gift basket.
If you are interested in joining us for lunch, please don’t forget to contact us (970) 264-2167 by 9 a.m. to reserve your meal.
Spanish Fiesta Committee to meet Oct. 18
Members of the Spanish Fiesta committee and the general community interested in supporting the 22nd Annual Pagosa Springs Spanish Fiesta are invited to an Oct. 18 meeting to be held at 5:30 p.m. in the Pagosa Senior Center dining hall in the Ross Aragon Community Center (451 Hot Springs Blvd.).
The meeting will discuss headliners for 2024, royalty program development and the 2024 Hispanic and BIPOC scholarship fund, among other details.
We look forward to hearing ideas and input from the greater community and will form subcommittees to engage in our planning process for 2024. The heart of the Spanish Fiesta is the people of Pagosa, and the rich heritage and ancestry from our history, our families and our ancestors. We welcome absolutely everyone to join in on the organizing of this special community event. Please bring your positive energy and motivation to make the 2024 fiesta the best yet.
The meeting will also have a Zoom component so more community members can join and participate virtually. For more information and to get the Zoom link for this meeting, contact Rose Chavez at rosa@psseniors.org.
Senior conversations
Join us Mondays at 1:15 p.m. for a series of “Senior Conversations” with local Bill Salmansohn.
He will lead the group through mindfulness exercises and discussion of various topics pertaining to aging in Archuleta County. Explore and discover for yourself answers to your questions and concerns.
The meeting will be held in the Senior Center in the dining hall. Snacks will be provided.
Pagosa Springs
Scrapbooking Club
The Pagosa Springs Scrapbooking Club holds monthly meetings the second Saturday of each month at the Senior Center.
It meets each month from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. to be creative, share ideas, connect with friends, learn new techniques, share supplies and indulge in a potluck lunch together.
Bring your scrapbooking projects — or any crafting project that you may want to work on with the group. If you would like to be added to the mailing list to receive notifications each month of the upcoming meeting along with handy tips and tricks for scrapbooking, please send your request to copenhavercreative@gmail.com.
Share lunch Monday through Thursday
Join us at the Silver Fox’s Den, aka the Community Cafe, in person for daily hot/cold meals Mondays through Thursdays at the Ross Aragon Community Center between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. It is open to all. Pickup is available all week, including Fridays.
Our dining hall is open to all ages and welcomes you all with kindness and warmth. We provide hot/cold meals for anyone in the community interested in a nutritious and delicious meal. For those 60 or older we request a suggested donation of $10, but no one will be turned away. There is a $10 charge for guests under the age of 60.
Meals include a main course, side dish, fruit/dessert, garden salad plus beverage. Some popular menu items include Frito chili pie, pork tenderloin with harvest chutney, Singaporean pork ribs, vegetarian lasagna, Hawaiian shrimp with coconut rice and always a beautiful green salad. Many of our items are locally sourced and organic.
Our chef works with a team of local food professionals to hand-prepare your meal for dine-in service in our cozy dining room (with an amazing view of the San Juans) or for takeout (via our convenient drive-through). Our menu changes daily.
To reserve your meal for the day, please make your reservation via text or phone call to (970) 264-2167 by 9 a.m. weekdays.
Community Cafe menu
Monday, Oct. 9 — Closed for Indigenous People’s Day.
Tuesday, Oct. 10 — Penne pasta primavera, garlic breadstick, garden salad, fruit, cottage cheese and milk.
Wednesday, Oct. 11 — Honey garlic chicken, vegetable fried rice, sauteed snow peas, garden salad, fruit, Key lime pie and milk.
Thursday, Oct. 12 — Pork posole, cabbage, lime, radish, tortilla, garden salad, fruit and milk.
Friday, Oct. 13 — Tuna sandwich on wheat bread, potato salad, garden salad, fruit, chocolate pudding and milk.
Grab-N-Go meals
Dine-in and 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. 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.
Mobile food pantry
service discontinued
The Mobile Food Pantry Service has been discontinued due to funding shortages. Older adults needing a ride to a local food pantry should contact the MET to schedule a ride with its paratransit service. For more information, contact Lavonne at (970) 264-2250.
Text reservations
Don’t forget that we offer a convenient texting service for you to communicate with us. Text us at (970) 264-2167. When texting, please include your name, phone number and the days you want a meal. If you are canceling a reservation, please include your name, phone number and the days you want to cancel.
Texting services are available for dine-in meal reservations, Grab-n-Go meals and Meals on Wheels recipients.
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.
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. By appointment only. Please call the Medicare line at (970) 264-0501, ext 2.
Bridge
The longest-played bridge game in Archuleta County takes place on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 1:15 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.
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.
Donations requested
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/.
