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Living Life After 50
December 2024 Lillys Are Volunteer Extraordinaires See Page 6
Elko Edition REaching ElkhaRt, kosciusko, noblE and lagRangE countiEs
Vol. 37, No. 10
www.seniorlifenewspapers.com
STAY BUNDLED UP — Ami Pitt, case manager for the Project Independence and Hand Up programs at Combined Community Services, looks through a rack of winter coats. Winter coats of all sizes are available for free in CCS’ lobby.
Organizations offer
PANTRY PROVISIONS — Shawne Buller, left, and Karen Roberts organize carts of food at the Combined Community Services food pantry.
services for seniors during Christmas season Text and Photos By LILLI DWYER Staff Writer While Christmas is meant to be a joyful time of year, it can also present difficulties, especially for those on fixed incomes. Food pantries and other community organizations do their best to fill in gaps where needs aren’t being met during the holiday season. “The big push would be getting people through our (food) pantry,” said Ken Locke, envoy of the Warsaw Salvation Army. “We try to beef our pantry up. We’re seeing a lot more seniors come through our pantry. ... And the demand gets a little bit higher during the holidays.”
The Salvation Army’s food pantry, which offers both food and hygiene items, is open 9-11:30 a.m. and can be used once a month. “A lot of what we see are senior people coming in, they’re on a fixed income and they’re trying to make ends meet,” said Ami Pitt, case manager at Combined Community Services. Combined Community Services, 1195 Mariners Drive, Warsaw, has winter coats available in all sizes during the fall and winter. For those who might need to provide for their grandkids, there is also free children’s clothing available at CCS ranging from infant to toddler sizes. CCS’ food pantry is open from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday, Tuesday
and Thursday. Coats and clothing can also be picked up during these hours. More information on CCS services is available at ccsgives.com or by calling (574) 269-6019. Pitt added their Hand Up crisis program can provide guidance for seniors who find themselves in dire financial straits and need help navigating the system. “Crisis can happen at any age. It is often really difficult to ask for help, that’s not an easy thing to do. Especially when you don’t know the system and with the economy we have right now ... when you’re older, how do you navigate that?” said Pitt. “Many of the families we service at Toy Time are grandparents
who have inherited grandchildren,” she mentioned. “A lot of our guests that come in for groceries are seniors that do have custody of their grandchildren. We service them at Toy Time and at Tools for School in July.” CCS’ Toy Time toy sale will take place at the Kosciusko County Fairgrounds, 1400 E. Smith St., Warsaw from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 14; and 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 15. Gently used toys are available for sale at reduced prices. For the second half of Toy Time, a free giveaway of new toys also takes place at the fairgrounds from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday, Continued on page 2
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