Rotarians in Belmont and Mount Holly come together over mounting needs of senior citizens

Ted Hall
·3 min read

Rotary clubs in Belmont and Mount Holly are exploring how they can work together to help meet the growing needs of senior citizens in their communities.

Belmont Rotary President Whitney Norton and Mount Holly Rotary President Brandon Kaufman collaborated on the problem recently and each agreed to host a meeting of the combined clubs to consider the issue.

Belmont hosted the first meeting on Sept. 21 at the Home2 Suites by Hilton in Belmont. Belmont Rotarian Jennifer Grant, who works at Gaston County United Way, was the speaker for the for the first meeting.

While Gaston County has several agencies and programs dedicated to serving senior citizens, Grant said the needs are growing faster than the resources to meet them.

"The forgotten, softly spoken, elderly are not used to needing help and don't know where to go for help," she said.

Some of the biggest issues as seen from the United Way perspective include:

  • The elderly being priced out of their rental homes, and costs rising on owned homes.

  • Many don't drive and have little knowledge about how to use the internet and technology..

  • Grocery and utility costs are increasing faster than incomes.

  • Inability to make home repairs or keep up with routine home and yard maintenance.

  • Seniors being ignored or forgotten, especially during the holidays.

Some potential ways Rotary could help include:

  • Raising funds to hire an intern to advocate for the elderly.

  • Establishing a fund to help with needs as they arise.

  • Collecting needed items such as gas and grocery cards, toiletries, heaters, blankets, etc.

  • Working with churches and agencies to compile a list of people needing help with repairs, maintenance, computer issues.

  • Having an intern work toward matching people to share ever-growing expenses. Grant said these issues and ideas were put forth to start the discussion as the clubs consider how to help meet the needs of senior citizens.

Meals on Wheels

At the second joint meeting, hosted by the Mount Holly Club at the Municipal Complex on Sept. 29, the program topic was the Meals on Wheels program in Gaston County, which now serves 363 qualified seniors age 60 and over a meal on Monday through Friday each week.

Selina Pate, supervisor in the Nutrition and Adult & Aging Program at the Gaston Department of Health & Human Services, spoke along with Nutrition Program social workers Amanda Dawson and Maren Brown Lopez.

Catered hot meals are distributed from nine sites serving seniors in all areas of the county. For seniors living too far from a meal site to receive hot meals daily, a bundle of five frozen meals is delivered once each week. Funding for the program comes from the federal and county governments and from private grants and donations.

In addition to delivering meals, volunteers also perform a service by providing a safety check on senior citizens and offering a few moments of conversation to some who seldom leave their homes.

"The most pressing need for the Meals on Wheels program is more volunteer drivers and workers in meal delivery sites," Pate said. "There's always a waiting list of qualified senior citizens eager to receive the service."

It is estimated that 20 to 25 seniors in the Belmont and Mount Holly areas are currently on the waiting list.

Discussions between the two clubs will continue on how Rotary can help meet some of the most critical needs of senior citizens in the communities.

Ted Hall is a member of the Belmont Rotary Club.

This article originally appeared on The Gaston Gazette: Belmont and Mount Holly Rotarians come together over senior needs