ORFORD — In order to cut costs, two Grafton County senior centers merged at the beginning of this month.
Orford Area Senior Services, which operated out of the United Congregational Church of Orford, has closed and combined its services with Horse Meadow Senior Center in North Haverhill.
The Grafton County Senior Citizens Council, a nonprofit organization that now operates seven senior centers in Grafton County, had a $100,000 budget deficit during its last fiscal year, said Kathleen Vasconcelos, the council’s executive director.
While the organization had reserve funds to cover the deficit, leadership started looking for ways to balance the budget while still maintaining “core programming,” Vasconcelos said.
The council’s programs are funded by a mix of state, federal and municipal funds, in addition to private donations.
“That funding is not keeping pace with the increasing demand for our services and the increasing cost of supplies, food, wages, utilities and more,” Vasconcelos wrote in an email.
Last year, it served 212,626 congregate and home-delivered meals, which represented a 4% increase from the previous year. Likewise, it provided 20,235 bus rides, which was a 3% increase.
“We expect the need for our services to continue to grow,” she said.
Orford Area Senior Services started in 1976 and the council paid the church rent. Vasconcelos declined to say how much closing the Orford center will save the organization.
Horse Meadow director Lisa Adams had been overseeing Orford Area Senior Services for about a year before the merger. The Orford site hosted two congregate meals a week and between 10 to 20 people showed up, depending on the day and meal being served, Adams said in a phone interview. In the last fiscal year, it served 958 congregate meals, Vasconcelos wrote in a follow up email.
“A lot had to do with what meal was being served,” Adams said about attendance. “They really did enjoy roast pork down there.”
Volunteers will still be able to pick up home-delivered meals at the Congregational Church before distributing them throughout Orford and Lyme. Transportation services will also continue; the council provides rides to residents for medical appointments and grocery store visits, among other tasks. Orford residents can also request rides to Horse Meadow to participate in activities.
Horse Meadow, which is about a 20-minute drive from downtown Orford, is running a bus on Mondays and Thursdays from the Congregational Church to North Haverhill. The bus picks up people at 10 a.m. in Orford and brings them to Horse Meadow for lunch, which is served from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., Monday through Friday.
Last Thursday, seven Orford residents came to Horse Meadow for lunch, including five who took the bus, Adams wrote in an email. Those who can’t make it to the church can call Horse Meadow in advance at 603-787-2539 and schedule a ride. Horse Meadow will make an effort to include roast pork on the menu for Mondays and Thursdays when the bus is regularly scheduled.
“I welcome them to come here and if they can’t do it on their own, we will get them and bring them here,” Adams said. “That’s what our bus is for.”
Participants in the Orford programs said they understand the financial pressures that are facing the Grafton County Senior Citizens Council and that the nonprofit needed to take measures to continue programs, but they are saddened by the change.
Fran Noel, of Lyme, attended both meals in Orford each week and will miss them.
“I was disappointed because I enjoyed those meals, mostly as a social thing,” Noel said in a phone interview. He liked eating with friends and meeting others who later became friends.
On the day of the last meal in late October, he took a photograph with his regular table mates to commemorate their time together. He sees many of them outside of the meals, but he is worried about losing contact with others.
Horse Meadow is about a half hour from his home, more than double the amount of time it took him to drive to Orford.
“I certainly wouldn’t want to drive up there for a meal,” Noel said. “I might try to ride the bus, but I’m not sure about that either.”
Ann Green, a longtime home-delivered meals volunteer, said the meals served in Orford were lively. Sometimes a band would play afterward and she’d stop by after her home-delivered meals route to listen.
“It’s very disappointing to lose it, but we need to move on,” Green, of Orford, said in a phone interview. “Hopefully it will be back some day.”
In order to maintain services such as home-delivered meals, for which the council does not have a waiting list, the board is looking at other ways to reduce expenses.
The council also cut its grab-and-go meal programs, where patrons could pick up packaged meals at senior centers. The program began during the COVID-19 pandemic when congregate meals were canceled, but interest in the program had been on the decline.
“It was something we continued to offer even after we reopened for in-person congregate meals, but it was never intended to be a permanent program,” Vasconcelos said.