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Senior Center treats volunteers to lunch

By Debbie Gardner

PRIME Editor



HAMPDEN They came, they ate, they were entertained.

The Hampden Senior Center saluted over 60 current and former volunteers during a special luncheon held in their honor on April 17.

"We really couldn't do it without you" Senior Center Director Rebecca Moriarty told the diners during brief remarks between the main course and cake provided by the Hampden Police Association.

She asked the volunteers to stand for a round of applause, and then gave them a hard measure of just what their contributions were worth.

"Since July when we reopened, we have recorded over 17,000 volunteer hours here at the Senior Center," Moriarty said. "And that is a total savings for the town of over $26,000 dollars. That's really, really great"

The town of Hampden voted not to fund the Senior Center for fiscal year 2006, and restored only limited funding to reopen the Center for fiscal 2007.

"I appreciate all the hard work you today in and day out, days when I'm not here, [on the]days when other staff isn't here" she continued.

She invited the volunteers to take home a spring plant, donated for the event by Hampden Nurseries, as "our very, very small way of saying thank you to you for all the great work you do," she said.

Moriarty closed by thanking the staff at the Senior Center for their help in preparing for the event, the kitchen staff who served the meal, and the Hampden Cultural Council for providing the funding for the luncheon entertainment, the one-man show "Jerry Atric The Older I Get " presented by Steve Henderson.