SOUTH DEERFIELD – In the early days of the pandemic, the South County Senior Center’s drive-by meal distribution was just that —a place for seniors to pick-up their meals.
Lately, however, the daily meal distribution at the senior center on Main Street has become an opportunity for members to safely socialize with one another, to catch up with the people they once saw regularly — that is, before the senior center shut down in March as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We’ve been doing (meal distribution) since we closed, but by the summer, with the nicer weather, people started parking or getting out of their car,” said Christina Johnson, director of the senior center.
Johnson said she’s even seen people take chairs out of their vehicle for a chance to sit back and relax while getting to interact — from a safe distance – with others.
“It’s nice to see,” she said.
Debbie Wolfram joined the group for the first time last week after she noticed a group gathered in a circle on the lawn outside the center. She had come for the weekly farm stand but stayed for the opportunity to catch up with friends.
“I used to come (to the center) three days a week to play cards,” she said. “I miss my card group.”
Until last week, the Deerfield resident hadn’t seen members of her card group for four or five months.
The event gives her an opportunity to socialize with someone other than her TV or computer, she said, laughing.
The center has been distributing up to 200 meals each week — twice the number of meals it would distribute when the building was open, prior to the pandemic.
“Now it’s the one chance to see people,” Johnson said.
With the addition of the farm stand on Wednesdays, there’s added incentive to stop by the center, particularly for those who aren’t there for the lunch but want to see what produce is available. The produce, she noted, is typically donated from local farms, including Atlas Farms in Deerfield and Fairview Farms in Whately.
“It really has become, some days more than others, a social event,” she said.
Sharyn Paciorek, of South County Triad, said the opportunity to socialize during the roughly 30-minute meal pick-up has been a “good thing,” especially for those with limited opportunities to get out of the house.
She acknowledged the local farms that have contributed produce to the weekly farm stand and the local residents who have dropped off excess produce from their own gardens.
“That’s the difference in where we live compared to a city,” she said, calling it a team effort.
Johnson said for members of the senior center, the stress about getting sick isn’t necessarily what’s on their minds — though they are continuing to be cautious.
“I hear from everybody that they miss coming in and seeing their friends,” she said. “They can’t wait to all be together again.”
Mary Byrne can be reached at mbyrne@recorder.com or 413-772-0261, ext. 263. Twitter: @MaryEByrne