Thursday, August 25, 2011

City of Joplin reopens Senior Citizen Center

(From the City of Joplin)

City officials welcomed senior citizens back to the Joplin Senior Citizen Center on Thursday with a Ribbon Cutting and a celebratory cake. The Center has been closed since the May 22 tornado due to the damage it sustained to its roof, windows, and an exterior wall. Repairs have been made allowing the Center to reopen.

“We recognize how important this facility is to our citizens,” said City Manager Mark Rohr. “We are pleased to have it open again to provide our seniors a place to gather and enjoy food and fellowship.”

Prior to the disaster, the Center prepared 160 meals for homebound deliveries and 100 congregate meals for those seniors coming to the Center. The Center opened on Monday of this week, and has seen a good response from their usual attendees.

“Some of our seniors were affected by the storm,” said Stephanie Denahm, Nutrition Program Director with the Area Agency on Aging. “By having the Center open again, it has been a nice reunion for many who come to Center to enjoy the meals as well as the many friendships they’ve made here.”

The east exterior wall of the Center is still under repair, and a partition has been built in order for this work to continue while keeping the Center open.

The Joplin Senior Citizens Center is located at 2202 S. Jackson Avenue.

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