Volunteers in Lumby are making sure local seniors stay connected this Christmas season.
The Lumby Old Age Pensioners (OAP), also known as the Monashee 50+ Club, originally applied for a $10,000 grant to help seniors do their grocery shopping online near the start of the pandemic.
But with Christmas fast approaching, the group decided a portion of the grant money could go towards purchasing three new computers so that seniors could stay connected with their families online over the holidays.
“We want everybody in Lumby to enjoy Christmas,” said OAP Director Norma Bouzek.
The Lumby OAP Hall — with its bright red roof refurbished in August 2019 — is located at 1737 Glencaird Street.
The computers have now arrived and are locked in storage for the time being, but will be set up for community use as soon as requests come in, with thorough sanitizing in between uses.
The volunteers will also continue to assist seniors with grocery deliveries and online ordering and are collecting toys for kids this Christmas due to a dearth of local programs that typically run this time of year.
“We also have a food program going on at the OAP Hall, and we contributed to that as well,” said Bouzek.
The food program, called Lovin’ from the Oven, sees volunteers prepare meals for seniors which are then delivered by members of the Helping Hands program.
“We also have a freezer service so they can store the extra meals, and we’ve been doing various things through the OAP hall,” added Bouzek.
The free computer service aims to fill the gaps in technology access that may exist in the community during the pandemic, and for seniors who may need help using programs like Zoom or online grocery services, Bouzek is offering remote screen-sharing to help them along.
She’s also hoping to add a printer to the hall for the public’s use.
Those interested in the service are invited to contact Norma Bouzek at 778-212-2397.
READ MORE: Kelowna family decorates tree for daughter who died after battle with cancer
READ MORE: Lake Country kids light up Christmas amid COVID-19