Volunteers are daily bread for senior center . . .
Staff writer
From preparing meals to delivering them across the community, volunteers keep Hillsboro Senior Center operating day to day.
“Meals on wheels and just the help in the kitchen keep this place going for all of us,” board president Wanda Dush said.
Dush is filling in for the center’s manager while continuing her duties on the board and assisting with daily operations.
Aside from the manager, cook and a dishwasher, all paid positions, the center relies largely on volunteers to handle support for meal preparation, deliveries, and general upkeep, Dush said.
“We can use all the volunteers we can get,” she said.
The center provides weekday meals and serves as a gathering place for seniors, offering activities such as bingo, exercise, and birthday celebrations.
Many of the same volunteers return regularly, creating a consistent presence that helps sustain services.
Meals on wheels remains a key part of the operation, ensuring that homebound residents receive food when they cannot make it to the center. During winter, extra non-perishable meals are prepared and sent home with seniors in case travel becomes difficult.
“We do what we can with what we have,” Dush said. “We’ll take care of them.”
Beyond meals, the center serves as a daily touchpoint for older residents, offering routine, social interaction, and informal wellness checks when someone is not heard from.
The relationships built at the center are part of what keeps people involved, Dush said.
“I love to hear the stories they tell,” she said.
Without the center, Dush said, her own days would feel markedly different.
“I’d be bored to death,” she said.
Those interested in volunteering can contact the center at (620) 947-2304.
Hillsboro Senior Center currently is looking for help with a painting project and with replacing gutters.