WARRENSBURG – Warrensburg’s Parks and Recreation Department is kicking off the summer with two free programs for children and seniors.
From now through August 14, children ages 18 and under can receive free breakfast and lunch five days a week through the department’s annual Summer Food Service Program. Folks ages 60 and older can participate in the department’s new Senior Thursday program where access to the Warrensburg Community Center’s facilities are completely free for use.
Summer Food Service Program
Funded by the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services and prepared by Warrensburg R-VI School District cafeteria staff, the SFSP is a twice-daily program that assistant director of Parks and Recreation Tony Albertina said plays a vital role in ensuring kids have access to food when school is out of session.
“We just know in the summer time with parents working, they might have financial trouble and struggle to feed (their) kids, so that’s why we have the program,” Albertina said. “To make sure kids are getting breakfast and lunch during this season too.
From 8:30 a.m. to 9:30 a.m., and 11:30 a.m. to 12:45 p.m., parents can bring their children to the ABC Building in Grover Park for free meals. Though the meals have to be eaten on-site per the program’s state-mandated guidelines, Albertina said there are no other guidelines to follow or criteria to meet. Any child who arrives at these times Monday through Friday gets a meal, no questions asked.
“You can just show up. We don’t ask for IDs or proof of residency– there’s no requirements,” Albertina said. “The big emphasis is we want kids getting fed.”
This offering, Albertina said, is a great way for low-income families to ensure their children still have access to at least two square meals a day. It also provides the necessary nutrients these kids need to have an enjoyable summer.
“We want the kids (to have) a good time in the summer, but they need to receive the proper nourishment, and we continue to offer that,” Albertina said. “So, families can worry about other stuff in the summer, not feeding their kids. They don’t have to worry about that because we’ll do it Monday through Friday.”
For more information about the Summer Food Service Program, call the Warrensburg Parks and Recreation Department at 660-747-7178.
Senior Thursday
After the Warrensburg Community Center’s fee structure was implemented at the beginning of this year, Albertina said he and Director Chris Deal brainstormed ways to make the center more accessible to seniors while also keeping in mind the increase in staff wages and facility cost.
This, paired with wanting to spread the word about Warrensburg Senior Center’s programs, is how Albertina said he and Deal came up with the idea to host a free day for folks ages 60 and up.
“Chris (Deal) wanted to do this as kind of a give-back thing to get the seniors in the building,” Albertina said. “One of the biggest reasons is (on) Thursday, (the senior center) does meals for donation. Thursdays are a popular day, so since we already have a lot of seniors here, we wanted to offer them the ability to use the gym, swim, all that.”
These free days are also a great time, Albertina said, for seniors to see if they are eligible for insurance-based gym memberships like SilverSneakers or Renew Active– two programs that offer free gym memberships to seniors nationwide.
“I think a lot of people don’t know they’re eligible for the SilverSneakers or Renew Active programs, so we’re trying to get the word out,” Albertina said. “We hope (Senior Thursday) will lead them to want to become more active and become members. I think it just gets their foot in the door.”
In a world where seniors are often left out of the conversation as a target demographic for many programs, Albertina said this offering is about more than just getting seniors interested in WCC memberships. It’s about getting seniors out of their homes and connected with folks in the community.
“We want as many seniors to come out (as possible),” Albertina said. “There’s a lot of great social opportunities that (the senior center) has. They play cards, they have different bands (play) so come get a workout in, walk around with your friends and then just stay and socialize. Even if they’re being active one day a week, that’s still better than just being at home and not being social. We want seniors to be active.”
For more information about Senior Thursdays or other programs offered through Warrensburg Parks & Recreation, visit https://www.warrensburg-mo.com/913/Recreation-Programs.
Hasina Shah can be reached at 660-747-8123.
