For the second year in a row, Global Calgary is virtually partnering with four charities over the holidays — including Kerby Centre — as part of our Month of Giving campaign.
Deb Dukes has participated in Kerby Centre programs for over a decade and said she’s unsure where she would be without the centre and its volunteers.
“The Kerby Center has improved my life.”
In her early 50s, Dukes suffered a stroke and had to lean on the centre for grocery deliveries. But it’s the volunteers that she says make the biggest impact.
“They come in and they visit. They sit down after they bring the groceries and they’ll chat for a minute,” Dukes said. “They’re volunteers. They have their own life to run, but they take time out of their life to come and make our life better.
“They have kind hearts and they care about seniors at Kerby.”
The Kerby Centre in Calgary helps low-income and vulnerable seniors in Calgary stay healthy, active and connected.
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Their programs cover everything from grocery and medication deliveries to education and recreation programs.
Dukes said anytime she needs help finding something, she leans on the information services hotline available through Kerby.
She is sure to spread the word to other seniors so they know what resources are available to them, if needed.
“We used to be able to go to the Yellow Pages. Now I go to Kerby.”
Larry Mathieson, the CEO at Kerby Centre, said the main goal of the charity is to enhance the lives of seniors that find themselves in vulnerable positions.
“Whether that’s through health, through wellness, through financial information, through housing, whatever, it’s all about living your best life,” Mathieson said.
“Kerby Centre is all about helping older adults in Alberta live their best life.”
Throughout the pandemic, the centre had to come up with new, safe ways to offer that support.
Mathieson believes the last two years have highlighted the importance of senior outreach programs, but have made it challenging to offer that support in a safe way. He added that the organization has had to use new ways to offer support, like outreach programs, social calling programs, Zoom and digital programming.
“Isolation and food security have been huge issues for seniors through COVID-19. And (the pandemic) has essentially made those issues worse,” Mathieson said. “So outreach, and providing food security for seniors is a priority for us this Christmas.”
Funds raised through this year’s Month of Giving campaign will help Kerby Centre fill food hampers and offer special holiday meals for seniors in need.
Click here to donate to Kerby Centre as part of Global Calgary’s Month of Giving.
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