June is the month to celebrate older adults and everything they do in our community. Sometimes the elderly can feel isolated, but a group is offering programming to welcome them into the community.
Betty Boyd, adult outreach coordinator for Faith Welland Outreach, said Faith Welland Outreach is a not-for-profit organization that has been active in the community for the last 12 years. The group is branch of the Faith Welland Church on South Pelham Road.
She said Faith Welland Outreach works with youth and seniors by offering a number of different programs. Boyd said their “big partner” is Niagara Regional Housing.
“We are in a number of their communities,” said Boyd.
For the different seniors' programming, she said, they go into long-term care and into retirement homes weekly. Workshops are held with topics of interest to older adults. Examples include exercising for seniors, avoiding scams, mental health and digital literacy.
There are also monthly breakfasts and lunches. Boyd noted how food insecurity can be an issue for older adults, especially those in fixed incomes.
“A lot of them live alone or don't cook,” she said. “Finances are sometimes an issue.”
Boyd pointed to recent activities like gardening therapy where they made planters or to trips to Swiss Chalet. Later this summer, said Boyd, a group will be travelling by bus to visit the farmer's market in St. Jacobs.
Faith Welland Outreach also helps with a grocery pick-up service, something Boyd said began during the pandemic and was kept around because of the needs it addressed. Another important aspect of the programs, noted Boyd, was the “serve” events.
“A lot of older adults feel as they age that they don't have anything to contribute, so we provide opportunities for them to volunteer to serve the community.” she said.
Last year they group hosted 28 different serve events, said Boyd.
Twice, for example, seniors and youth got together to make little care packs that were delivered to Extended Care at the Welland Hospital for Christmas. The kids delivered the presents.
The teenagers and seniors have come together for fun events too, like bingo night and pizza,
“They played Bingo, had pizza, made a hundred cards with chocolate, and then the kids of the program delivered them to Extended Care,” said Boyd. “I love the intergenerational aspect of it.”
“You know, bringing everyone together, working together for a cause and interacting. It gives purpose as well, you know, to both the kids and the seniors.”
Boyd said numbers vary based on the program, but she said that there can often be 75 or 80 people attending.
To helping make this possible, there are a number of dedicated volunteers that commit weekly – seven to be exact. Boyd said the volunteers were they are doing a lot more then just facilitating a program.
“They're actually making relationships or building relationships with these folks as they get to know them and they get to know what's happening in their life. It goes beyond just the walls, the room that the program's happening in. It's more than just a program.
It's building community.”
More information on Faith Welland Outreach may be found at faithwelland.com/outreach or on the group's Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/faithwellando. The group may also be reached by phone at 905-735-6811 extension 20.
