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Smiles return as senior center receives wheels

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ST. IGNATIUS – It was a sad day when the Senior Center lost their only transportation used to deliver meals for the Meals on Wheels program to aging people in need. Volunteer driver Patrick McGreevey decided to use his own truck to continue delivering those meals, but that still left the center without a vehicle to drive people to medical appointments; however, the problem didn’t last long. 

The Lower Flathead Valley Community Foundation took action to help the Senior Center mobilize. 

“We saw the article about the stolen car in the Valley Journal at our meeting and our faces were long,” said Germaine White, LFVCF board president. “We talked about what we could do. Then, I drove down to the Senior Center. I interrupted their Bingo game and told them we wanted to donate a van. Their faces were all smiles.”

The foundation donated a 15-passenger van with air conditioning to the Senior Center last week.

“Mary Stranahan, one of our board members, donated the van to the foundation and we turned around and donated it to the Senior Center,” White said.

Folks in the Senior Center were smiling at the prospect of having a van for their Meals on Wheels program, to help people get to medical appointments and to have fun.

“This was a blessing in disguise,” said Lois Delaney, Senior Center board member. “The car that was stolen wasn’t dependable.” 

Senior Center Board President Mack McConnell believes the van will boost morale.

“We have many people unable to get to the center. Now, we can bring them in for a meal and to play Bingo. We can take trips to museums, go to events and even grocery shopping, really anything. This van will allow seniors to leave their homes and socialize.” 

McGreevey is happy to have a dependable vehicle besides his own to deliver meals on the two hour Meals on Wheels delivery route, twice a week. 

“It’s fantastic,” McGreevey said. “It’s more comfortable than the car. In comparison, they’re like night and day. And the people I deliver to are happy about the van. They come out to see it when I stop by.” 

The Lower Flathead Valley Community Foundation began giving to local projects 12 years ago. 

“The foundation started as a consequence of a woman named Vera Jensen who died without heirs,” White said. “Her estate was used to create this foundation. The initial endowment fund was invested, and we donate the investment earnings. We’ve donated $800,000 over the years. We also collect donations that we use to add to our donations.”

Many projects in the Mission and Jocko Valleys receive contributions from the foundation.

“We try to be proactive and respond to need in the community. We see a need or get a request and we donate. We’ve donated to the Boys and Girls Club, scholarships, baseball and park improvements, food banks, children’s reading programs, and the list goes on.

“Our primary objective is to benefit children because if we can create a generation of healthy happy children then we believe our grandchildren will have a healthy happy place to live. And, we do donate to children of all ages like here at the Senior Center. We really wanted to give them a hand with this great project.”

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