Wednesday, 10 a.m. Darrell Ritenour, Mick Tank, Lon Bohling play a game of cards at the Gathering Place. There are lots of empty chairs that need to be filled to keep the center viable.
Shirinking attendance puts Gathering Place in jeopardy
by Mary Le Arneal
Published 11/5/25
When Sherry Raymond started working at the North Bend Senior Center 12 years ago, attendance was about 40 people for lunch with about 12 to 15 meals on wheels delivered. Then there was the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.
“COVID just about killed us,” Raymond said.
The Senior Center, which has changed its name to The Gathering Place, is still struggling. Even the meals that it delivers to people at home is down. The cost of the meals is going up, but those coming to eat still pay just $6 if they are 60 or over or $7 if they are younger than 60. A variety of meals is offered. See page 3 for the menu each day.
The problem is consistency. They need people to come every day or get a meal delivered every day. Raymond keeps track of who comes regularly and pays for their meal, and people who come consistently help the Gathering Place in more ways than one. Repeat attendees are classified as “congregates” by the Eastern Nebraska Office on Aging, Raymond said. The Gathering Place is reimbursed $5.50 for each congregate meal, so it is in the Gathering Place’s best financial interest to have repeat attendees.
“We’re not even going to hit 200 congregate meals this month,” Raymond said. “Last year we did 370 congregate meals in October. As of Oct. 29 this year, 186 meals have been served. Our home delivery went from 12 meals to two now.”
There are several reasons numbers are down. Some regulars have died. Others have moved into nursing homes or have moved away from North Bend.
The 31-year-old building has a new roof, new carpet, new windows, electric doors and no steps, needed improvements mostly paid for with grants and donations. The building will be here for a long time.
Whether or not it will keep functioning as a senior center is not yet determined.
“We don’t see any future big expenses or repairs coming up,” Raymond said. “We try to keep it as good as possible so people will have the desire to come here.”
They have tried fund raisers, but after a while participation fizzles out. Renting the center for private use is a nice income that they put into savings.
But what they need is diners. People to come and eat on a regular basis. Improving the numbers reported to ENOA will help the Gathering Place continue to get federal support.
Raymond says she does what she can to save money, but her grocery bill for October was $200 higher than last month, which did not include meat, just fruit and vegetables. She shops sales, goes to David City to get the meat more economically and uses leftovers for another meal on occasion.
“Everything has gotten so expensive,” Raymond said.
Raymond said the board of directors has had to dip into the savings to make salaries.
“If we keep going this way in a couple of years we’ll have to close our doors,” board president Rollie Dvorak said.
Another factor is the insurance. It has gone up every year.
There are activities every day that bring in players. Most of them stay for lunch but not all.
“They come in play cards, eat meals twice a month and then leave so that is really not supporting us,” Raymond said, “but we are glad to have them here.”
They changed the name to “The Gathering Place” to attract people to come eat with them who aren’t “seniors.”
“It’s a great facility and there are great people who come in here,” Raymond says. “Everyone seems to like it here.”
Dvorak said the Place’s days are numbered if attendance does not improve.
“If they want to keep this facility in town, we need support,” Dvorak said. “We need people walking in the door."
The public is invited to a Thanksgiving dinner at the Gathering Place on Nov. 13. Reservations are needed by Nov. 10, call 402-652-8661 to make reservations. Cost is $10.
<<Back to the front page |
