A handful of seniors gathered in the community room at 23 Wellington Street, an apartment building belonging to the non-profit Tenants Development Corporation, on a drizzly Tuesday for lunch and camaraderie, served with good humor by volunteer Heidy Viarruel.
Free, weekday hot lunches were part of a suite of senior programs offered by United South End Settlements (USES), including affordable home repair referrals, various exercise and fitness classes, art, singing and dance, and computer classes that were discontinued on June 30 under USES's Vision 125 strategic plan.
Viarruel, 60, was coordinator for USES's low-cost senior home repair services program and also worked with the senior lunch and wellness programs before being laid off one month short of her 25th work anniversary. She continues her work with TDC's senior lunch and fitness programs while looking for a new job.
Boston commissioner of elderly affairs Emily Shea said in a written statement, "There are a couple of organizations stepping in to fill the gap in senior services in the South End. Our office was involved in scouting out new locations for lunch sites, and we are happy that Tenants' Development Corporation will be providing a new lunch site. For senior programming, we are partnering with the South End Community Health Center (SECHC). With these additions, we feel South End seniors will continue to be well-served in their community." Henry Goodrow, director of external relations for SECHC, reports that the center's Silver Wellness program will begin classes on December 14 and will offer strength training with fitness coaches, yoga, dance and periodic wellness workshops tailored to seniors.
The luncheon regulars bring a variety of backgrounds and interesting tales to the table. One woman who is still working at a library outside Boston started coming over a dozen years ago after a friend who lived in senior housing told her about the lunch in at the Harriet Tubman House, located at the former site of the famed Hi Hat nightclub in the days when the old South End was Boston's "jazz central".
She recalled roller-skating to the Hi Hat in her youth, listening to the bands rehearse in the summertime when the club left the back door open. "My mother and sister would laugh if I told them I had lunch at the old Hi Hat!" she chuckled. Annie, a retired portfolio accountant for a mutual fund who lives in Roxbury, moved away during the early South End gentrification. "I used to live in the South End, but when they started buying property and redoing it, I had to move. I like the South End, though."
Annie, who cares for her mother, comes about twice a week when she can get away. "It's for the socialization. A lot of times I don't eat because I don't eat beef or pork. I just talk and socialize." A gentleman named Rich who comes to the luncheon daily from Everett said, "We've lost some people, but we still get most of the same people."
Rich values the structure that the daily luncheon provides in his schedule. "I needed a routine in my life. When I first retired, I found out I couldn't sit and read all the time; I got bored. I heard about the South End lunch from a luncheon I used to go to on Newbury Street and I liked it. I like the atmosphere here." A native of Concord, Rich also likes the slice of city life that his trip to the luncheon affords.
"I grew up in the country, but I like the city. I like walking in the city." In the past, Annie participated in USES's tai chi, art and computer programs for seniors. Luther, whose career was in retail, brightened the dreary day with his vibrant orange sweater and gold rings on most of his fingers. As Luther talked about his life, the unnamed library worker interjected, "Luther won't tell you how he is our disc jockey, playing the great old music during lunch."
Transportation is a major concern for seniors, with location of services, proximity to transit and weather all contributing to their ability to participate in activities. The library worker, who wished not to be named, emphasized several times the importance of public transit access, especially to seniors.
"It makes all the difference in lifestyle. Even if I am tired, I know I can get home safely. Public transportation is very important to older people," she observed, noting also the importance of accessible stops such as Mass. Ave. station, which has escalators. Viarruel said that the TDC senior program is working on getting a shuttle to the location. Rich commutes from Everett to the luncheon on the T every day. "I leave my house at 10:00 AM, I take a walk when I get off at State Street station, and I come here."
"Orange Line: very important!" our library worker chimed in. Viarruel normally expects 10 to 15 people at the lunch, and attributed the low attendance on the day of the South End News's visit to the cold, damp weather. She also suggested that some USES senior participants may not be as comfortable with the Wellington Street location because it is on a side street, not as close to buses and the T and the street is paved with uneven brick sidewalks rather than more even cement.
Viarruel said, "Most seniors want to come to a place where they are comfortable, where they can get all the information they need and where they are not going to be turned away. Here is a good place. It's very inviting. They like it and they don't want to see it go away."