By Shelby Stewart
Staff Writer
The Edna Burton Senior Center is starting an adopt-a-senior program. The purpose of the program is to pair up area seniors in need of assistance with volunteers who are willing to lend a helping hand.
“Someone had actually put the suggestion out on Facebook, someone had asked if there was a program similar to how the adopting a senior in high school works, but for senior citizens,” said senior center coordinator Faye Bindig. “And I said I would do it, so I put out there that anyone who was interested in volunteering could contact me, and I had some responses.”
Bindig said that once volunteers reach out, she would pair them with senior citizens that need assistance with small tasks, such as taking the garbage out, bringing in the mail, running to the grocery store, or shoveling their walkway.
“There’s so many seniors out there that are by themselves and we don’t necessarily know what they need until they come and ask us,” she said. “Sometimes I don’t have the resource they need, and or I don’t know who would be willing to do that task.”
The program would be strictly on a volunteer basis, and all volunteers would be background-checked to protect the senior citizens.
“For some people, they might just need some companionship,” she said. “There are so many seniors right now who live alone and are just isolated and don’t have any family nearby, and they need someone to talk to, that extra bit of friendship.”
Anyone looking to volunteer, or any senior citizens in need of assistance, can call Bindig at the Edna Burton Senior Center, 248-627-6447.