Fundraiser aids Sandpoint Senior Center
Thursday is the busiest day for the Sandpoint Senior Center’s afternoon meal (Photo by CAMERON RASMUSSON).
SANDPOINT — Those seeking a good cause to support can help feed the elderly and get fed themselves tonight at the senior center’s sixth annual benefit dinner and auction.
The evening is scheduled to begin at 4:30 p.m. with a prime rib dinner. Afterwards, the senior center will host both a live and silent auction. Some of the items up for bidding include paintings, a scenic airplane ride, a fishing trip, gift certificates and sporting goods. The evening will also feature a silent auction of 22 additional items. Tickets to the dinner cost $15.
“In the past years, we’ve made around $16,000 from the event,” senior center director Norma White said. “This year we expect to make a little less. Then again, I’d certainly like to make more.”
Proceeds from the evening will support the senior center’s afternoon meal service, which includes community dining at 11:30 a.m. and delivery to housebound seniors.
“And these aren’t the tiny portions you might find at some places,” senior center associate John Elsa said. “This is real, home-style food.”
Although the senior center suggests a $3.50 donation for the meal, the fee isn’t mandatory, and the organization largely supports the program with its own coffers.
“The senior center is about 35 percent funded, and we have to cover the rest through grants, donations and fundraisers,” White said. “So nights like these are definitely important.”
The Sandpoint senior center has operated since 1975 and served all of Bonner County. White has worked there for 18 of those 35 years. She says the good-naturedness of her clients makes her work easy.
“I’m 70 years old, so I’m a senior myself,” she said. “But it’s the heart of these people that keeps me going. I just love being here.”
In addition to the food services, the senior center hosts bingo, pinochle and other card games. The center also gives seniors access to a library and computer lab. Thanks to substantial community donations, the organization is establishing an Alzheimer’s care unit, an open house for which is set to be scheduled later in the month.
“I’ve checked out a lot of similar establishments, and there’s just no comparison,” Elsa said. “We’re the best there is.”