Published: April 06, 2009 09:17 am      

Sunshine Center to combine dining sites

By KANDACE MCCOY

kandace.mccoy@register-news.com

MT. VERNON — The Sunshine Center will be consolidating two of its dining sites in order to better serve seniors.

The current city dining site, at New Life Harvest Church, will be combined with the former Rose Lane dining site which, along with the Waltonville site was temporarily suspended last year.

“We do not have the money to hire a site supervisor for the Rose Lane dining site,” explained Jan Reed, senior nutrition project director at the Sunshine Center. “This was the next best thing, to figure out to consolidate the two [sites] so they both would still offer a place to go and wouldn’t require any more funding from the program.”

Reed said a meeting was held on March 10 at Rose Lane, and flyers were sent out to seniors in order to determine interest for that location.

“We had a good turnout,” she said. “We had a lot of surveys sent in and we did decided that it’s definitely something needed in that area for the program and the services we provide.”

For the past 27 years, the Sunshine Center had been located at 521 Perkins Ave., but was given a Dec. 16 deadline to vacate is offices when the Power of Change Christian Center purchased that building from Mt. Vernon District 80 last fall. Since then, the center’s city nutrition program had been temporarily moved to New Life Harvest Church.

“Originally, when our building was first sold and we were trying to come up with options, going to Rose Lane was discussed,” Reed added. “All the participants at the Perkins Avenue site were agreeable to that and they still are, so they’re anticipating the move.”

She said seniors are still participating in bingo three days a week and Bible study on Tuesdays.

However, Reed does have some concerns once the consolidation takes place at Rose Lane.

“The main concern I have is the parking issue,” she noted, “which is why we decided not to go there in the first place. We still have people that drive their own vehicle. It may be an issue, but something we have to figure out how to work out.”

She said when deciding on the feasibility of conducting the senior nutrition program at Rose Lane, a survey was completed in conjunction with the Housing Authority of Jefferson County and the City of Mt. Vernon.

“They were very helpful,” Reed remarked. “This is something I believe all three entities are excited and happy about.”

The first lunch at the Rose Lane dining site will be May 4, she said.