Local senior center could use some help
<p>Loretta and Lee Heath play during the weekly jam session at the North Valley Senior Center on Nucleus Avenue in Columbia Falls last week.</p>
From coffee filters to replacing an aging freezer and refrigerator, the North Valley Senior Center in Columbia Falls could use a little help.
The building on Nucleus Avenue is owned by Flathead County, but the center’s members and volunteers are responsible for upkeep of the building and paying the bulk of the utility bills — which amounts to about 30 percent of the operating budget.
The center has about 135 members and holds fundraisers on a regular basis to pay those bills, but there are times, particularly in the winter months, when utility bills are highest, that it can be tough to make ends meet, board member Joe Decker said.
The center is looking for help to replace its kitchen sinks with a commercial grade, paint the building, restore the landscaping, replace the old refrigerator and freezer, provide illuminated exit and entrance signs, replace damaged tinted film on the front doors and fix water damage in the pantry.
About 16 percent of Flathead County residents are 65 or older, and that number is expected to increase to 25 percent by 2025.
The center offers a host of activities for older people, including a daily lunch at a modest price, card games, cribbage, exercise classes, computer access and musical jam sessions every Friday.
All donations or in-kind services are tax deductible. To help, call the center at 892-4087.