Archdiocesan Catholic Health Care Services’ Norris Square Senior Community Center has received a Senior Community Grant of $80,877 from the Pennsylvania Department of Aging primarily to upgrade its community kitchen, which provides daily meals to visiting seniors from the surrounding area.
“The grant will enable us to upgrade and replace our walk-in freezer, and our walk-in refrigerator for our produce,” said Karen Becker, director for the senior centers conducted by the Philadelphia Archdiocese. “We serve lunch to about 120 people a day at Norris Square Senior Community Center and breakfast to another 60 people.”
Funding for the program comes from the Pennsylvania Lottery. Your ticket may not be a winner, but it hits the jackpot with our senior citizens.
Last year the center served approximately 37,000 meals to at-risk seniors, some of whom are residents of Casa Carmen Aponte, senior supportive housing located at the same site and named for Carmen Aponte, the first administrator of Norris Square Community Center when it opened in the 1973.
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Norris Square, because of its location in North Philadelphia, serves an overwhelmingly Latino population and is totally bilingual in all of its operations.
It is one of four such centers conducted by Catholic Health Care Services in Philadelphia. The others are St. Anne’s Senior Community Center (Port Richmond), St. Charles Senior Community Center (South Philadelphia) and Star Harbor Senior Community Center (Southwest Philadelphia).
The centers provide opportunities to enjoy hot meals, social and recreational events, art and music activities, spirituality programs and day trips, as well as educational programs focused on health, nutrition, consumer issues and technology.
“Our focus is on three issues: food security; health and welfare; and opportunities for socialization,” Becker said. “We are very pleased with the support from the Department of Aging for keeping our facilities efficient and modernized.”
In total, the Pennsylvania Department of Aging gave 43 grants totaling $2 million to 43 senior centers throughout the commonwealth.
Funding for the program comes from the Pennsylvania Lottery. Your ticket may not be a winner, but it hits the jackpot with our senior citizens.
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Congratulations to our North Philly Seniors Center at Norris Square on your $80,877 grant!
What about our Catholic Parishes Senior Centers? They are probably listed as Catholic Groups; few groups get their centers or groups listed as “Centers” since the property is “Archdiocesan.” But our needs are great too. So many Seniors groups are unable to maintain their groups due to attrition, yet a significant factor is the lack of State financial support. In the previous administration, “grants” were permitted as a means to underwrite food programs. When that happened we had to dig deeper into our pockets to pay for the increase in costs for foo. Now we get a lunch only once a month. When your Social Security payments give you less than $1,500, and just the cost of your medications are over $2,000 a month alone then we have to pay increased real estate taxes, utilities that have gone up, like water effective July 1st, gas, electric and try to put food on the table. Well our limited finances have to be squired meticulously, just to keep going. Is this governmental genocide? Is this hostile government? Biased/Prejudiced? Only families than came from wealth seem to be able get wealthier and get away with the taxation burdens in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. How are we to bear the brunt of the economy as it is when we have no more available resources? So how is it that the PA Lottery cannot fund any Catholic Seniors groups (which allows for non Catholics to join as Senior Citizens)? We are truly the forgotten and neglected minority; however we can vote, if only the Church had disseminated the information to elect compassionate officials that are sympathetic with Seniors needs in this secular world as it is. Or we shall perish.
Thanks to the Lord for supplying these needs.