Seniors Lose Meals in Hardeman County
BOLIVAR, Tenn-Dozens of local seniors will be without one of their daily meals after city officials in Bolivar decided to stop serving food starting Monday. City officials said low attendance at the center is the cause of them canceling their contract with Southwest Human Resource Agency, the company hired to supply the meals. According to officials low attendance is a problem that is affecting the other senior center in the county as well. The facility in nearby Whiteville is at risk of closing if attendance does not go up. “We just don’t have enough people interested in the meals,” Bolivar Administrator, Sheila Dillinger said. For people like Mary Alice Young, who attend the center regularly, she said the meals will be missed. “Me and most of us who come here live alone so to cook for one person you don’t do it.” Senior Center organizers said although they will stop serving meals they do plan to have frequent potlucks. Officials said they also plan to make up for the loss in other ways. “We’re going to try to start doing more outings, go places, and do games and arts and crafts,” Dillinger said. And although seniors, like Young, who will now have to eat somewhere else besides the center, she said the new changes that city officials are promising are enough to keep her coming back.
