By Sue Denny • Posted May 18, 2026

In 2002, Jennifer “Jen” Scornaienchi was looking for a job with meaning that was close to home. She found the perfect fit—and a lifelong love of seniors—at a rehabilitation center in Northeast Philadelphia.

In 2017, Jen found her true calling when she became director of St. Ann Senior Community Center. That’s when she began to fully understand the struggles older people may face.

“Some of the seniors really have no one,” she said. They have so much to offer the community—their knowledge, experiences, and fantastic stories. “They have taken care of us, and I think we should step up and take care of them.”

In late 2019, St. Ann’s closed and relocated to Nativity B.V.M. Place, a former elementary school converted to senior housing in the traditionally Polish American neighborhood of Port Richmond. Jen became a satellite coordinator for the new Nativity B.V.M. Senior Community Center located in the renovated school cafeteria. It is one of five centers operated by Catholic Charities of Philadelphia (CCoP); two are satellite sites open half days.

Her work with seniors has strengthened her faith. “I know God has planted me in the senior center for them. I’m where I should be,” she said.

Jen knows she and her three co-workers make a difference in the lives of the 70 or so people who typically visit the center each weekday. Sometimes it’s as simple as a friendly greeting, a warm smile or hug, just to let them know someone cares.

Jen recalls “Eileen” (not her real name), who visited the center for the first time during the pandemic for “Grab and Go” meals. Once the center reopened, staff members persuaded her to come inside and check it out. At first, Eileen stopped by once a week, then twice a week, and now she visits Monday through Friday.

“She says we’re angels on earth,” according to Jen.

Eileen isn’t the only person whose life has been transformed by the center. Take “Jack,” for example. Jack’s family begged him to stop watching TV and get out of the house. With great reluctance, he visited the facility with coffee cup in hand, sat alone in the corner, finished his coffee, and left.

Today, Jack is a regular visitor. Jen can expect to see him at every party, dancing and having a good time. “It took him awhile to accept that the senior center’s not that bad, that maybe he does need it.”

Eileen and Jack’s stories illustrate how CCoP carries out one of its four pillars of service: to stabilize and enrich the lives of seniors. Nativity B.V.M. Senior Community Center does that and much more.

The center is open 9:00 a.m.1:00 p.m. Monday through Friday. People aged 60 and older can start the day with free coffee or tea and enjoy a nutritious lunch at noon (monetary donations are voluntary and anonymous). Some form of exercise is available each day—a morning stretch, indoor walking, chair yoga, and enhanced fitness. Members can recite the rosary on Tuesdays and have their hair done twice a month. They can play bingo, shuffleboard, and pinochle and enjoy music and dancing during regular social gatherings. The center also offers individual assistance, educational presentations, and wellness screenings, including blood pressure checks.

If additional funding became available, Jen envisions expanding operating hours and programming. Longer hours would also help to ensure seniors have a warm place to go in the winter months and an air-conditioned space in summer. She would love to offer regular trips to Boscov’s, the casinos, and the Jersey shore. Outings are difficult now due to the small staff and limited operating hours.

At this time, congregate meals are the center’s most important service, according to Jen. They alleviate loneliness, isolation, and food insecurity among seniors.

The daily luncheon is the major, sometimes only, meal of the day for many older adults. Transportation is a hurdle for some, Jen said, but the bigger barrier is financial. People living on fixed incomes often struggle to make ends meet. “Many of our seniors are choosing between food and their medications or food and something else.”

During the COVID pandemic, the center was forced to close from March 2020 to mid-2021. To help prevent seniors and people with disabilities from going hungry, Philadelphia Corporation for Aging (PCA) began a “Grab & Go” program, safely supplying meals at sites throughout the city, including Nativity B.V.M.

The program continues to this day, and every week the center provides 200 “Grab and Go” meals to city residents. “They come in once a week, and they get seven meals, seven fruits, seven milks, and seven breads,” Jen said.

The pandemic forced the temporary closing of so many vital services, including Nativity B.V.M. Senior Community Center. A permanent closure is unthinkable. “I can’t even imagine what the members would do,” Jen said. They would lose access to socialization, nutritious food, exercise, wellness checks, and one-on-one support.

“We’re going to do whatever we need to do to help,” Jen promised.

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This piece was previously published in Catholic Charities of Philadelphia’s 2024-2025 Annual Report. View the full report here.