RSVP program seeks volunteers for inmate program

MANCHESTER — The Thresholds and Decisions Program is looking for volunteers to present the program to inmates in the Hillsborough County Department of Corrections starting in September.

This course runs for 12 weeks and is offered to inmates who are within three months of release.

The time commitment is two hours per week. Training and support is available to volunteers throughout the session.

A training session is planned Saturday, Sept. 8, at Sundance Village, 1915 Front St.

Thresholds is a program of the Retired and Senior Volunteer Program, or RSVP, and Southern New Hampshire Services. For more information, call Lyn Collins,Thresholds Program coordinator, at 634-1169.

Plymouth senior center plans New England trips

PLYMOUTH— Plymouth Regional Senior Center, 8 Depot St., is taking reservations for two New England day trips scheduled later in the year.

Just before Halloween, on Monday, Oct. 22, a group will travel to Salem, Mass., for a visit to the Salem Witch Museum, lunch at Finz Seafood & Grill on Pickering Wharf and a driving tour with a guide that will include sites such as the House of the Seven Gables and grand antique houses built in 1800 and 1840 as well as a stop at Abbot Hall in Marblehead to see the original painting of “The Spirit of 1776.” Admission to a live performance of “Cry Innocent” at Salem's Old Town Hall also is included. The cost is $140. The group will leave the senior center at 6:30 a.m. and return about 8 p.m..

A “Christmas in Newport, R.I.” trip Monday, Dec. 3, will include admission to two Newport mansions decorated for the holidays and a tour of two famous scenic routes: Bellevue Avenue, which is lined with “summer cottages” built by scions of industry and commerce during the “Gilded Age,” and Ten Mile Ocean Drive, where estates and have unparalleled ocean views. The day will include some free time to shop. The cost is $140.

For more information about either trip, call the center at 536-1204.

The center will celebrate “Beach Day” on Wednesday, Aug. 29, with dinner at 5 p.m. and entertainment with DJs Rick and Maria. The center will be open for the regular daily activities, but this will be the meal of the day.

Senior Wellness Mornings offered in Concord

CONCORD — The Concord Area Senior Wellness Team offers Senior Wellness Mornings from 10 to 11:30 a.m. the second and fourth Tuesday of each month at Horseshoe Pond Place, 26 Commercial St.

The purpose of the team, which is a group of Concord Hospital volunteers, is to improve and maintain the mental, physical, spiritual and social wellness of the community's older adults through services and activities introduced in free programs.

For more information or to register, call Volunteer Services at Concord Hospital, 227-7000 ext. 3660.

SJCS receives 2 grants for Meals on Wheels

MERRIMACK — St. Joseph Community Services, which provides Meals on Wheels throughout Hillsborough County, received grants from two organizations this month.

The Bishop's Charitable Assistance Fund gave a $7,500 grant for the Meals on Wheels program.

BCAF, a not-for-profit organization within the Catholic church in New Hampshire, makes grants to not-for-profit organizations without regard to religious affiliation for projects that help people in New Hampshire meet their basic needs.

“We are so grateful for this generous donation from the Bishop's Charitable Assistance Fund,” Meghan Brady, president of SJCS, said in an email.

St. Joseph Community Services also welcomed Martha E. O'Neill, a Nashua attorney and member of the BCAF board of directors, who volunteered at the SJCS site in the Nashua Senior Activity Center. She helped package meals to go out to the homebound.

SJCS also received a grant from the Amherst Junior Women's Club for the meals program.

“The Amherst Junior Women's Club members volunteer their time, energy and talent to help those less fortunate,” Brady said, “We applaud them for assisting their neighbors.”

SJCS last year served 422,006 meals and 3,506 individuals in Hillsborough County. Over the past 35 years, it has provided 10.9 million meals to people in need of food, a connection to the community and a safety check. To donate or volunteer, contact St. Joseph Community Services at 424-9967 or MealsOnWheelsNH.org.

Cafes designed for people with Alzheimer's, families

Both the Cashin Senior Center in Manchester and the Children's Museum of New Hampshire in Dover offer a social cafe for people living with Alzheimer's and other forms of dementia and their families and care partners.

The Memory Lane Cafe is offered to the public from 2 to 4 p.m. the fourth Wednesday of the month at the senior center, 151 Douglas St. The cafe is a blend of social time and peer-to-peer support. It is hosted and organized by SunBridge Healthcare and a team of volunteers. For information or to make a reservation, contact Shirley Gordon at 647-6390 or shirlgrdn@yahoo.com.

The Alzheimer's Cafe program at the museum, 6 Washington St., offers a casual social gathering and refreshments from 2 to 4 p.m. the third Thursday of each month. Reservations are not needed. For more information, contact Paula Rais at paula@childrens-museum.org or 742-2002. For more about the museum, go to www.childrens-museum.org.