News from the Orcas Senior Center

Submitted by Orcas Senior Center.

Christmas quilt silent auction

Lifelong islander Betty Hall has generously donated a beautiful and festive quilt to Orcas Senior Center for a silent auction. The 42 ½ by 49 ½ inch quilt, adorned with a Christmas tree using what’s called paper piecing, was expertly crafted both by hand and machine by Betty and the late Wanda Ryberg. So, stop on by Orcas Senior Center at 62 Henry Road, Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. to admire this lovely quilt in person and place your winning bid by Dec.1 at 3 p.m.

Grannie’s Closet is back

Grannie’s Closet offers household décor, kitchen and vintage items, crafting supplies, and much, much more. Located in the lobby at the Orcas Senior Center, Grannie’s Closet occupies only a few shelves. But with a constantly changing array of items, it’s worth checking what’s new on a regular basis. Grannie’s Closet is self-service, and each item is labeled with a suggested donation. All the profit goes directly to support the Orcas Senior Center, and all the items are donated to the Orcas Senior Center. Please come in and have a look! If you have items you wish to donate, you may leave them at the front desk. The Orcas Senior Center also has an active eBay site, with new items listed every Sunday. Check us out!

Companion services

Among the Orcas Senior Center’s Companion Services, two programs stand out: Hearts and Hands and Buddy Check-In. While Buddy Check-In has grown and thrived during the pandemic, the Hearts and Hand home visit program has not. Hearts and Hands matches vetted and trained volunteers with seniors and people with disabilities for consistent, long-term companionship while monitoring physical and emotional well-being and it continues to make a difference for both volunteers and recipients:

“My volunteer’s friendship helps brighten the days of such relative loneliness.”

“Hearing the treasured stories of my care recipient’s experiences warms my heart and teaches me a lot about what’s really important in life.”