Byesville Rotary learns about Senior Citizen Center challenges for 2020

Pictured: Shon Gress, Executive Director of the Guernsey County Senior Citizens Center and Meals on Wheels, and Shana Fair, speaker host.

Byesville Rotary welcomed Shon Gress, Executive Director of the Guernsey County Senior Citizens Center, to the club’s recent meeting. Gress spoke to club members the COVID-19 challenges the Center faces and how he and the Senior Center staff are facing those challenges.

Shon Gress identified his challenges as providing services deemed essential with the building closed, implementing a 160 page list of state and federal requirements, and managing to pay for services to seniors and meet new requirements with a budget based on the needs of a typical year.

Gress reported his first actions were to ensure that seniors would not go hungry. The Center offered to grocery shop for seniors and expanded Meals on Wheels services. Meals on Wheels numbers ballooned from an average of 550 a day to over 1260 a day. When the Center had to close satellite sites in rural areas, Gress substituted a “Grab and Go” program in which hot meals could be picked up at satellite sites 5 days a week.

In addition to providing meals, Gress stated he initiated several new or expanded services. The Center began to pick up and deliver prescription drugs. To ensure seniors could get to and from appointments, transportation services began including Saturday mornings.

Gress explained regulations require Center staff to avoid contact with the seniors they were serving. That required some training. Staff had to deliver meals by placing meal on porch or stoop and backing off.

Expenses for the Center increased with the increased demand for services and with regulations requiring more disinfecting and PPE equipment for staff. Gress responded by spending more time writing grants. He stated that in four months he raised $469,00 in grants which helped stretch his budget. 

Gress pointed out that he is preparing for the future. He explained that when COVID first became a problem in late winter, people had hope and looked forward to spring and summer and the end of COVID. In order to prevent the mental and physical health of seniors being affected, Gress said he and his staff are trying to develop programs that will counteract feelings of isolation and loneliness.

The presentation was live streamed to the club’s Facebook page.

The club held a second Stuff Santa’s Stocking fundraiser on October 17. Community support was generous. The club has now raised 63% of the funds needed to provide Christmas food baskets to Rolling Hills families. The club continues to accept donations to support this project.

Donations may be mailed to Byesville Rotary, P.O. Box 211, Byesville, OH 43723. For additional information, contact any member of the Byesville Rotary or post to our Facebook page – search Byesville Rotary.

Connect with #ByesvilleRotary at: www.Byesvillerotary.blogspot.com , Twitter Byesville_Club, or Facebook https://www.facebook.com/pages/Byesville-Rotary/256548047818283. Watch the Byesville Rotary Facebook page for details.