Senior Cub Center looks to Texoma Gives for new program funding

The crowd at the Young County Senior Cub Center has gotten larger and lively lately - as fears of the COVID-19 pandemic recede - and Director Angela Lockard wants to build on that momentum in this year’s Sept. 7 Texoma Gives event to fund more programs.

Texoma Gives is a day of online giving that is designed to raise awareness and funds for North Texas nonprofits, and donors can access local charities via the organization’s website at texomagives. org.

The Senior Cub Center served meals each weekday in July to an average of 26 seniors in the dining room – a big increase - and 71 in its home delivery program, an expected decrease, Ms. Lockard said.

With both attendance and food prices rising, the Center wants to kick off more programs to promote better nutrition and socialization for Olney’s seniors, and it needs your help during the Texoma Gives online fundraising event to raise the $10,000 it will take to start them, Ms. Lockard said.

“The pandemic officially ended and we’ve had some changes to our menu as well and lots of compliments on the food and people are looking to get out and find an affordable meal,” she said. Seniors pay a suggested donation of $4 per meal, but everyone is welcome to enjoy the Center’s nutritious fare at prices that rise to $6 per meal, depending on age.

The Center also will hold a bake sale at Stewart’s Food Store on Sept. 7 in conjunction with the Texoma Gives event from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., or whenever the baked goods run out, Ms. Lockard said. She is reaching out to local bakers in anticipation of the sale.

“We always need people to bake,” she said. “If they want to bake a cake or brownies or whatever – we are selling them as a whole, not in individual pieces. We are also taking orders for baked goods.”

The Center receives funding from state and local governments, but that money is earmarked for specific budget items, she said. The donations from the Texoma Gives fundraiser will help expand the Center’s services, catering to Olney’s specific needs.

“The struggle that we find here at the Center is getting unrestricted funds,” she said. “Some of the programs we are trying to start right now are quality-of-life activities. These are activities that bring meaning and enjoyment to seniors.”

These include art classes, such as the painting class the Center is offering at 12:45 p.m. on Aug. 25, as well as a chair yoga class that’s in the works, she said.

The Center also wants to implement a new project – Operation SNAK, an acronym that stands for Senior Nutritional Assistance Kits.

“It’ll be based on the need for nutritional assistance. We will focus on hydration, snacks and light and easy meals and fresh fruits and veggies,” she said. “We don’t have funding for that as of right now but that is what we are planning in the future.”

In addition to the nutrition and arts programming, the Center also runs a free transportation program for members, and offers twice-monthly access to the County’s food bank, she said.

Anyone who wants to bake or place an order for the Senior Center bake sale or get information on programs can contact Angela Lockard at director@olneyscc.org or call the Center at 940-564-2782.

To donate to the Senior Center during the Texoma Gives event, go to TexomaGives.org and click on the profile for the Young County Olney Senior Cub Center, or to olneyscc.org on Sept. 7.