Great News!

The Mendon Council on Aging and the Friends of Mendon Elders would like to say thank you to all the folks that attended Mendon’s Annual Town Meeting and voted YES to our next step forward in our quest for the Mendon Senior Center Expansion. It was great to see so many familiar faces, and to get the positive result. Stay tuned for more information.

Calling all Cribbage Players!

We have moved our weekly Cribbage day and time. Cribbage will now meet on Wednesday at 9:45 a.m. Join us whether you are a seasoned pro or a novice. We love to see new faces.

Bocce Anyone?

The Mendon Senior Center bocce court is available for use. Call director Amy Wilson Kent at 508-478-6175 to reserve a time. Bring your own balls or ask to borrow ours. Special thank you to Warren Goodnow for maintaining the court.

Qigong Summer Workshop Sessions with Crystal Bowl Meditation by Faith Kennedy Wednesday, July 12, 26 & August 30 - 10 a.m.

Have you heard of Qigong? Qigong (pronounced Chee-gong) according to instructor Faith Kennedy is “meditation in motion.” The Mendon Senior Center is pleased to offer summer workshops of this popular fitness program. It utilizes gentle stretching and breathing exercises. Upon finishing this class students will feel relaxed yet energized. Faith will then offer crystal bowl therapy. Crystal bowl sound therapy is an ancient practice in which sound healers produce different sound frequencies with quartz crystal singing bowls to restore balance and harmony in the body. Participants will be seated for the majority of the class. The Friends of Mendon Elders Inc. is generously sponsoring these workshops. Space is limited. Please stop by the center or call Melissa Rezek at 508-478-6175 to register.

The COA Summer Cookout/Eat-In Wednesday, July 19 - 12 p.m.

Join us at the Senior Center for a good old-fashioned cook-out prepared and served by the Mendon Council on Aging members and volunteers. We’ll have hamburgers, hot dogs, summer side dishes, and all the fixings. The cookout is free, sponsored by the COA, but seating is limited. Please call or sign-up at the Senior Center, we’d love to see you.

The Senior Tea – Sunday, July 30 - 2 p.m.

The Council on Aging and Friends of Mendon Elders will be co-hosting a special reception honoring Mendon residents and senior center members aged 85 and older. Our afternoon tea will feature dessert and beverages along with beautiful piano music played by our own COA board member Earl Pearlman. Save the date, and please call the Senior Center if you have not received your invitation by mid-July.

Silent Movie Performance Wednesday, August 2 - 1 p.m.

Thank you Friends of Mendon Elders for sponsoring this unique program. Join us on August 2 when Richard Hughes returns to the Mendon Senior Center presenting a real crowd pleaser: Harold Lloyd’s comedy-romantic-action movie “SafetyLast” with live musical accompaniment by Hughes. Pianist Hughes “adds a third dimension of Mood Music to the very best films of the ‘Golden Age of Silent Movies.” Please call 508-478-6175 or stop by the Mendon Senior Center to register for this free program.

Transportation Services –

The Senior Center van is currently available to offer transportation to Mendon residents, age 60 and over and to people with disabilities Mondays through Thursday for local medical appointments, shopping and errands and rides to and from Senior Center activities. No reason to stay home this summer. We have A/C on the Van and in the Senior Center. Come on down and beat the heat. The requested donation for round trip rides in town is one dollar and out of town rides, four dollars. Van passes or Vanbucks are available for a donation of ten dollars to the Friends of Mendon Elders allowing for twelve in town rides. No senior or person with disabilities will be denied a ride due to the inability to pay the requested donation. Vanbucks will make the perfect birthday or thinking of you gift and can also be purchased to be donated to someone in financial need. Please call the Senior Center at two business days in advance to schedule a ride. Greater notice is, however, recommended as we book up quickly. Thank you.

For the general population:

ATTENTION SNAP MEMBERS (Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program)

Did you know that as a SNAP participant you automatically qualify for the Healthy Incentives Program (HIP)? When you spend SNAP dollars on farm fresh fruits and vegetables at participating HIP retailers an equal amount of your monthly limit, is instantly added back to your EBT card. Your receipt will show the amount of additional SNAP dollars you’ve earned. You may spend your earned benefits anywhere that accepts SNAP.

Household size and monthly benefit limit: 1-2 $40/month, 3-5 $60/month, and 6+ $80/month. Note—these funds do not rollover and you must have a balance on the EBT card at time of purchase. Additionally, if any Mendon residents need more information or if you are experiencing food insecurity please contact our outreach coordinator Janet Hubener at the Mendon Senior Center at 508-478-6175 to learn how to access the Mendon Food Pantry.

Friends of Mendon Elders News: Friends of Mendon Elders Scholarship

This year’s recipient of the 2023 Friends of Mendon Elders Scholarship is Lilly Rezek. Lilly completed 4 years at Blackstone Valley Tech and will be attending Fairfield University in CT to study Nursing. We are happy to help Lilly through her first year of this endeavor with a $500 scholarship award. She was honored at our June 12 Friends Meeting.

A note from Dottie Garceau: President of Friends of Mendon Elders, Inc.

Our Progressive Yard Sale was a huge success once again. We would like to thank our generous sponsors for their continued support. Their clear commitment to aiding our efforts to provide beneficial programs and services for the Seniors of Mendon as well as enhancements to our Senior Center is greatly appreciated. Thank you as well to our friends and neighbors whom so graciously held yard sales. And to you, our shoppers, we deeply appreciate your participation and support for those holding yard sales—51 in total this year. We are thrilled with the community’s response to our fundraiser and thank you all for your support.