Thrift Shoppe re-opens slowly and safely

After six weeks of being closed, the Thrift Shoppe at the Perkins County Senior Center opened its doors again on Tuesday, April 28.

After its closing on March 16, volunteers spent two weeks sanitizing the store and swapping out the seasonal items so they were ready for summer.

While it is open for business again, there are certain rules in place to ensure the safety of all customers. The Thrift Shoppe will be open from Tuesday to Thursday each week, from 1 p.m.-4 p.m. There is a strict limit of five shoppers at a time and it is asked that customers only enter if they are healthy. There will also be hand sanitizer available at the entrance that all shoppers will be asked to apply upon entering.

They are still not accepting donations, but soon there will be a trailer parked out back where people can leave donations, which will be washed and sanitized as needed.

The Thrift Shoppe, which accounts for around 50% of the Senior Center’s annual revenue, has been opened nearly as long as the Senior Center itself. The Perkins County Senior Center opened in 1980, and the Thrift Shoppe somewhere around 1982.

Since then, the Senior Center has been working to provide meals, services and activities for the community, particularly the seniors in the area.

They offer daily hot, homecooked meals for the community made right in their kitchen. These meals typically can be consumed in-house, but at the moment are being offered through carryout and delivery only. Normally, they also offer meals at satellite sites in Madrid and Venango, however these sites are not available at this time.

“It’s ensuring that those folks who aren’t able, for whatever reason, to cook for themselves or take care of themselves that they’re getting at least one warm, healthy, home-cooked meal that day,” said Trish Jiminez, who has worked at the Senior Center for eight years.

The Senior Center also offers a wide variety of activities for seniors to keep them fit, active, and entertained. There is exercise equipment available, Tai Chi classes, “Stepping On” balance classes, and even a pool table.

One of the most important aspects of the Senior Center is the opportunity it provides for older adults in the community to socialize and get out of their homes. Those who regularly come in to the Senior Center have an added benefit that someone out there is looking out for their well-being.

If someone who has normally been coming in every day, or a few times a week, suddenly stops coming in, Jiminez gives them a call to check in and see how they’re doing.

The Senior Center also provides Grant with the community center, which community members are free to rent out and use for activities and events.

Fortunately, the Perkins County Senior Center has received a $2,500 grant from the Mid-Nebraska Community Foundation so they can continue to provide services for the community, even with the loss of revenue from the Thrift Shoppe’s six-week-long closure. They have also applied for an FDA loan to help with costs at the moment.

Another $125 was raised from a quilt raffle, which was completed on Friday, April 24 at 3:30 p.m. The winner of the quilt was Sheri Krajewski-Bibins. They plan to continue to host silent auctions through Facebook for other crafts.

The Senior Center is a great help to the community, especially the older population. It relies on community support to thrive, including donating to and shopping at the Thrift Shoppe and ordering meals.

“The whole community has always been great support for the Senior Center and we’re extremely thankful,” Jiminez said. “There are some senior centers that don’t have great community support and I know that our community will support us.”