ROCK ISLAND, Ill. — With the cold weather here, there are senior services available for free that you may not know about. At the Rock Island County Senior Center, hot meals are being served and community help is being provided.
"We have a wide variety of services, we're a senior center. But we're also an aging and disability resource center. We do community focal point, which is where we do the Benefit Access Program, which is the reduced license plate sticker or the free bus pass," said Senior Services Director Michelle Dyer.
Other services include home-delivered or community meals, as well as transportation for seniors who need a ride anywhere. These rides are solely donation based, but if you are unable to donate you will not be turned away.
Warenne Bush found her community at the young age of 76.
"These women that are here and this woman to my left, Mary-Jane, I like her because that woman is 87, whether you know it or not. And she's always going to pick somebody up and go here or there. They inspire me."
The center is also a warming center from Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. It's available for anyone, and they also have coffee, water and, usually, some snacks available.
For those who are homebound, they offer a social isolation program to help seniors who are feeling disconnected from the community. This includes activities through the internet and access to the center's technology library.
The center is primarily funded through state and federal grants but also relies on donations and other small grants to maintain its services. Their caregiver assistance program aids in relieving the stress of caregivers and also assisting grandparents in raising grandchildren.