TORRINGTON – Love was in the air in the Goshen County Senior Friendship Center on Wednesday morning.

“These are Valentine’s Day cups or could be just Valentine’s vases or something,” Dottie Jungck said as she held up the cup on her table. “We always put coffee in them,” she said with a smile. “I think I am going to put mine on the table and put candy in it.”

Tables at the center were covered with holiday stickers, paints and embellishment and the room was filled with chatter, laughs and smiles as a small group of center goers participated in just one of the many actives held at the local center. 

The center, located on 19th Avenue in Torrington, is open from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday and it has been providing a place for seniors in our community to gather for entertainment, enrichment, community, and services.

“We are going to do bags, either aprons or canvas bags and then we will use liquid embroidery stuff on them,” Merrijane Morgheim said. “It’s fun. We did one a couple years ago, and every place I go, I use it, like a carry-in you use it for your plates and stuff like that. The stuff we have done here has been fun.”

The center hosts two different crafts a month for participants to enjoy and the activity comes free of charge for those age 60 and over. 

“We’ve done a lot of things and the last thing we did was snowmen,” Morgheim said. “We took Styrofoam balls of different sizes, and you could put material around them, or you could just decorate them and stuff like that and we had buttons and of course the hot glue gun. You’ve got to have that.”

The center also provides many other services for the community.

“Come on over even come and eat lunch with us. We have such a good group of people at lunch,” Morgheim said. “And they (the center) deliver meals to people.”

The center also provides the type of care most people in the community really need, according to Morgheim. After a serious leg injury, Morgheim learned just how supportive the center is to the community they serve. 

“It’s been a long haul,” Morgheim said. “They (the center) had a wheelchair. They had toiletry things. They had everything to use.”

Tina Mattis delivers meals to homes of qualifying participant and according to Morgheim, she doesn’t just deliver food but also a compassion for the community. 

“They (the center employees) are so super,” Morgheim said. “They would come out and check on us and we had the meals on wheels. She (Mattis) is just great. Our dog just loved her because she brought him a bone. It’s just a good place.”

Morgheim stated, even though she had been to much larger towns in Wyoming, the center in Torrington was the best by far. 

“We have been to Rock Springs, and they don’t have anything near like this and that’s a big town,” Morgheim explained. “We are very lucky to be where we are at.” 

“Even if you’re not a senior citizen you can still come for lunch, Morgheim explained. “They are balanced meals. You can’t go back for seconds, particularly on cookies and stuff,” she joked. 

The different activities are scattered throughout the month to keep the community busy and active, especially during the winter months. 

“It is wonderful. They have pool for the guys, and they have cards in the afternoon, and it is just great. I started coming when I was still young, well not old enough to come,” Morgheim said. “I have really enjoyed it. I made a lot of friends and people that my folks knew and stuff like that.”

The center provides congregate meals, home-delivered meals, and transportation. Through the Wyoming Home Services program, the center offers, personal care, homemaking, respite care, chore services and a loan closet. Many of the services are provided for free and others are available for a small fee. 

The center also provides educational services, yoga, aerobics, woodworking, cards, games and so much more.

To learn more about the Goshen County Senior Friendship Center in Torrington or one of four satellite centers in Goshen County, please visit https://www.goshencountysfc.com.