TUESDAY, JANUARY 16, 2018 | ALBERTLEATRIBUNE.COM | SECTION B
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Barbara Sosebee, left, said the cooks at Semcac senior dining are “just super.” She joined Roger Hermanson and Betty Hermanson for lunch Jan. 8. SARAH KOCHER/ALBERT LEA TRIBUNE
SEMCAC LOOKS TO INCREASE VOLUNTEER NUMBERS FOR SENIOR DINING PROGRAM By Sarah Kocher
sarah.kocher@albertleatribune.com
As the community ages, so does its volunteers. Semcac site manager Theresa Knudtson said that volunteers are sometimes unable to return if they can no longer help with the serving and cleaning tasks necessary for the senior dining program run at Senior Tower. This is the case now as Semcac looks to fill between six and 12 volunteer spots for its senior dining program. The program already has between 15 and 20 volunteers. Semcac provides subsidized lunchtime meals for seniors above 60 years old. The meals cost $4, or $3.50 if five meals are purchased together. “We have a lot of people that don’t eat very well,” Knudtson said. She said
oftentimes, the meal size allows diners to take leftovers home, which may make it easier to eat when it’s there and ready to heat up. Judy Menssen has been eating at Semcac for around 10 years. She said the food is only half the reason she comes to Semcac meals. The other half? Company. “It’s such a treat to come here instead of eating three meals alone at my kitchen table,” Menssen said. Barbara Sosebee and her son, Tom Sosebee, both come to Semcac during mealtimes. Barbara Sosebee sits in the dining room while Tom Sosebee helps staff the kitchen. He has volunteered at Semcac for over three years, he said, and he does it in his Sunday best. “I always wear a shirt
“It’s such a treat to come here instead of eating three meals alone at my kitchen table.” — Judy Menssen, Semcac diner and tie, because they deserve it,” he said. Both Sosebees said they have met people through the program they would not have met before. Semcac board member Pat Sorensen said the program fills a community need, as many seniors don’t cook for themselves. “It’s just no fun to cook for yourself and eat alone,” she said.
Volunteer Shirley Avery, right, adds bread to a meal served at Semcac senior dining on Jan. 8. Avery was named KIMT3 volunteer of the month in December. “She’s a worker,” Semcac site manager Theresa Knudtson said.
Senior Spotlight: Evelyn Spielman Age: 94 Native of: Bricelyn, has lived in Albert Lea for 21.5 years. Place of residency: Good Samaritan Society — Hidden Creek Family: One of seven siblings in my family. Education: Completed high school in Bricelyn. Former occupation: Bookkeeper in Montgomary Ward in Albert Lea and
St. Paul. What is your favorite childhood memory? Family reunions and family Christmas gatherings. What is your favorite memory from adulthood? Traveling to Alaska for five weeks with my brother and his wife. What would you say is your greatest accomplishment? Multiple sewing and crafts, including counted cross stitch. I always loved volunteering.
Is there a piece of advice you wish someone had given you or you would have listened to when your were younger? I can’t think of anything at the moment. What is the greatest lesson life has taught you? To be happy and kind to others. What do you enjoy most about where you are living now? I feel safe here. The workers are so good and kind to the people that live here.
Evelyn Spielman is a resident at Good Samaritan Society — Hidden Creek. PROVIDED