MCLENNAN COUNTY, Texas — The sounds of laughter, conversation, and the unmistakable call of "Bingo!" resonate from the Sul Ross Senior Center every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. But in the next two months Meals on Wheels will no longer be able to offer their services at the Sul Ross Senior center after the city decided to shut the center down.
- The Sul Ross Senior Center, operated by Meals on Wheels Waco for over 40 years, serves as a vital social hub for seniors, offering activities like bingo, exercise classes, and meals, fostering connections among patrons like Marie Wright and Clara Ware.
- The potential closure of the center has raised concerns for seniors about where they will go next and whether they will have the means to access new locations due to transportation.
- The city is currently searching for alternative facilities, such as Doris Miller and the Multipurpose Center, with a plan to transition to a new location within the next two months to continue serving the senior community.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
Those are the sounds you’ll here from the Sul Ross Senior Center every Monday, Wednesday and Friday.
Marie wright has been playing her bingo card at sul ross for as long as she can remember.
“It’s enjoyable because you get to see people daily,” Marie Wright said.
However, because of limited transportation, Wright walks to Sul Ross. So the news of the centers future closure has left her wondering what she will do next.
“My first reaction was where would we go, and then also, I didn’t have transportation to another center,” she said.
Meals on Wheels Waco has run the center for more than 40 years, offering exercise classes, art groups, meals, and bingo.
“The senior center is like a home away from home for many of these people, it’s where they meet their friends, it’s their excuse to get out of the house,” Rachel Salazar with Meals on Wheels Waco said.
It’s a second home for people like Clara Ware. The 85-year-old has been volunteering with meals on wheels for almost 25 years.
“It’s just like a family, it’s a close knit family,” Clara Ware said.
Besides the community and the reason for leaving the house, Clara said that Sul Ross is a big win for her while on a budget.
“We’re on a fixed income and we can’t pay to go a lot of places when we want to get out.”
Meals on Wheels Waco does not know when its last day in the building will be. The city is still searching for new buildings—they’ve been looking at places like Doris Miller, the Multipurpose Center, and Knox Hall. They plan to make a transition within the next two months.
