Meeting the need

Deanna Jones, executive director of The Thompson Center, and Woodstock Fire Chief David Green provide lunch to local seniors Monday at the center’s curb-side take-out service, which happens each day at noon. (Gareth Henderson Photo)

Communities have rallied to tackle many needs which have arisen out of the COVID-19 pandemic, and they give the rest of us hope. When the crisis deepened in Vermont, concern grew about the impact on seniors, who are among the most vulnerable to the coronavirus, but also need a host of services on a regular basis.

That placed senior centers squarely on the front line of the response to the crisis, being a central supplier of food service and resources for the people they serve.

Many seniors in the Woodstock, Vermont, area depend on the Meals on Wheels program locally organized through The Thompson Center. As the center keeps this service going amid the COVID-19 outbreak, it’s been getting a lot of help, too - and quickly.

In recent days, the senior center was inundated with people offering to be new Meals on Wheels drivers, just as 20 more people signed up to receive meals, according to the center’s Executive Director Deanna Jones. 

“We had so many community members come forward to help deliver,” she said. “We have 25 new volunteers.” 

The center has gone from four Meals on Wheels routes, to six: two each in Woodstock and Bridgewater; one each in Pomfret and Barnard.

“We’re going into the far reaches of those towns,” Jones said. 

While the need is being met, one of the toughest parts is that the social aspect of The Thompson’s work has been greatly reduced, due to the need for social distancing. A curb-side take-out service has replaced the center’s daily lunch at noon, Monday-Friday. And now, the Meals on Wheels drivers hang the bag of food on the door and wait at a distance for the recipient to pick it up. (If there’s no answer at the door, the senior center calls to check in with them.)

“It’s not the usual check-in and chat, or stepping into the kitchen,” Jones said, noting how much seniors have missed those visits.

However, efforts are being made to sustain that interaction and keep in touch. Jones said the center is checking in with seniors regularly by phone, making use of a phone tree that is 40 people strong.

At this time, Jones said the senior center has staggered its staffing so that there are two people in the office, and two in the kitchen at any given time. As of Monday, the center had 520 frozen meals on-hand for contingency purposes. 

Though much of their work is currently food-related, Jones noted The Thompson is also an important hub of information, and the phone has been ringing off the hook. 

“Senior centers are at the front lines of information, education and support,” Jones said. “We are where they get their information, and they know they can turn to us.” 

Another part of this story is that, while the center is calling seniors to check on them, there are also friends of the organization who are calling in to check on the staff and ask how they’re doing. 

That desire to care for one another has been expressed numerous times, throughout the globe, amid this pandemic. And in Vermont, we’ve seen there are many ways we can support people living just down the street, whether it’s by volunteering, or offering up a simple phone call. Now’s the time to act.

The Thompson Center is reachable by calling 802-457-3277, or emailing to info@thompsonseniorcenter.org. 

— Gareth Henderson