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March 10, 2020
The Silver Sage Special
By Mikie Baker
Special to the Prophet
Did you know the Silver Sage Seniors Center in Bandera has been delivering Meals on Wheels throughout Bandera County for 35 years? There is no other service in the county that deliveries hot, nutritious meals five days a week plus the all-important daily wellness check on our seniors.
We also have a community lunch every weekday from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at the Silver Sage. It’s a great opportunity for our active seniors to share lunch together as well as enjoy a number of activities that are on-going for their added enrichment.
Those activities include quilting, yoga, bingo, card games, crafts, bridge, exercise and monthly seminars on a variety of topics including how to create a will, information on reverse mortgages and even Medicare options. The Silver Sage also holds a monthly ice cream social and birthday potluck. The first Tuesday of the month, we enjoy a toe tappin’ event; the Cowboy Capital Opry featuring some great singers from right here in Bandera.
So why does the Silver Sage exist? Let’s talk about the need in our county. In 2014, we served 18,139 meals during the year. In 2019, we served 51,833 meals which is a 282 percent increase in just five years. And it will just continue to grow by leaps and bounds as our county ages. Many people are remote and living alone on ranches that aren’t close to town, so a hot meal daily is essential to their health and vitality.
How exactly do we pay for all those meals? We do get some funding from the county and the state, but it’s not enough to cover the cost of each meal. We also get funding from the Alamo Area Council on Aging, we write lots of grants to help us cover all the costs, we do occasional fundraisers and collect donations from giving people in our county. The Silver Sage also has a Thrift Store located in on Hwy. 16 south that helps cover our costs. The Thrift Store always welcomes donations and purchases. We continually appreciate and need your support.
Would you like to volunteer? Please call us at 830-796-4969 and we will sign you up. If you’d like to donate now, go to www.silversage.orgwww.silversage.org and click on the donate button. It only takes a couple of minutes, but it can mean health and well being for our seniors in Bandera County.
We also have a community lunch every weekday from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at the Silver Sage. It’s a great opportunity for our active seniors to share lunch together as well as enjoy a number of activities that are on-going for their added enrichment.
Those activities include quilting, yoga, bingo, card games, crafts, bridge, exercise and monthly seminars on a variety of topics including how to create a will, information on reverse mortgages and even Medicare options. The Silver Sage also holds a monthly ice cream social and birthday potluck. The first Tuesday of the month, we enjoy a toe tappin’ event; the Cowboy Capital Opry featuring some great singers from right here in Bandera.
So why does the Silver Sage exist? Let’s talk about the need in our county. In 2014, we served 18,139 meals during the year. In 2019, we served 51,833 meals which is a 282 percent increase in just five years. And it will just continue to grow by leaps and bounds as our county ages. Many people are remote and living alone on ranches that aren’t close to town, so a hot meal daily is essential to their health and vitality.
How exactly do we pay for all those meals? We do get some funding from the county and the state, but it’s not enough to cover the cost of each meal. We also get funding from the Alamo Area Council on Aging, we write lots of grants to help us cover all the costs, we do occasional fundraisers and collect donations from giving people in our county. The Silver Sage also has a Thrift Store located in on Hwy. 16 south that helps cover our costs. The Thrift Store always welcomes donations and purchases. We continually appreciate and need your support.
Would you like to volunteer? Please call us at 830-796-4969 and we will sign you up. If you’d like to donate now, go to www.silversage.orgwww.silversage.org and click on the donate button. It only takes a couple of minutes, but it can mean health and well being for our seniors in Bandera County.