Millersburg Senior Dining celebrates three and one-half decades as community gathering place

It was a full house at the Millersburg Senior Dining site on Wednesday, March 30, as friends gathered to celebrate the program’s 35th anniversary.

Site manager Phyllis Kinzler greeted both familiar faces and those who hadn’t been able to attend meals regularly while volunteers helped organize and serve the meal. Peggy Wardenburg provided musical entertainment as diners arrived.

Reservations for 62 meals were made that day, filling tables decorated with a spring and Easter theme. The site normally serves around 20 meals a day on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday, Kinzler noted.

Kinzler, who has been site manager since 1992, was honored at the conclusion of the meal for her 31 years of service.

“I enjoy it and I’ve got terrific volunteers,” she said of her three decades-plus as manager. She pointed out when she had been in the hospital for an extended stay several years ago, volunteers stepped in and kept the site running without a hitch.

Opened in 1988

The Millersburg Senior Dining site opened in 1988 in the former Alfred Shaull implement building. In 2005, that building was demolished and replaced with a combination community center and fire station. In the interim, Senior Dining moved to the basement of the nearby Methodist Church.

The first site manager was Iola Doty. When state regulations required the program have a paid manager, Lana James ran the program until 1992, when Kinzler took over the post.

Although the program has been reduced to four days a week due to budget issues, attendance remains steady, Kinzler noted. Numbers go up a bit on Wednesdays, which include musical entertainment from area individuals and groups and a monthly birthday celebration with cake.

The meal site offers more than just food. A midmorning social gathering before meals provides time for people to connect and keep in touch with friends and the community. Signing cards for special occasions or illness, phone calls to absent diners and snacks and coffee or lemonade during the gathering time strengthen the sense of community for Millersburg’s older residents.

“The program has touched and enhanced the lives of a large number of folks over these 35 years,” wrote Eunice Holderness in a story about the center’s history (Hometown Current, March 22, 2023).

Comments: Melinda.Wichmann@southeastiowaunion.com