Bag stuffing at Don Bosco/PHOTO Michael Bushnell

When the call went out from the Don Bosco Senior Center for help reaching and feeding local senior citizens who are unable to travel during the COVID-19 pandemic, Central Bank of Kansas City on Independence Boulevard answered the call.

They delivered a van-load of groceries along with a cash donation to assist in the ongoing mission of providing for senior citizens.

Thursday, April 2, Don Bosco staff, along with Sarah Cousineau, Central Bank’s vice president ofcommunity outreach, stuffed insulated bags with grocery items and large-print word search books for delivery to about 75 seniors.

“We are a firm believer in continuing with a hot, nutritious meal to go to the person’s door as well as checking on the welfare of our seniors on a daily basis,” said Anne Miller, director of the Don Bosco Senior Center in Columbus Park. “Seniors are the primary group that’s self-isolating at home so this helps them comply with those orders and manage to get by at the same time.”

The Don Bosco Senior Center normally feeds lunch to about 500 seniors who, prior to the stay-at-home order, would have come to the center for lunch and activities during weekdays. 

Since the order was given, the senior center has, for health and safety reasons, curtailed all internal activities and dine-in lunches, opting to offer curbside lunch delivery to those seniors able to make it to the center as well as working with Meals on Wheels to deliver to seniors who are unable to travel.

“We love the seniors at Don Bosco and the Central Bank family is happy to help in this small way to bring much needed items to their doorsteps,” Cousineau said.

For more information or to aid in the Don Bosco Center’s ongoing mission of feeding seniors in our community, visit donbosco.org.