Senior Citizens Advisory Committee

Hampton Senior Citizens Advisory Committee Hampton Senior Center, 3501 Kecoughtan Road November 4, 2024 Call to Order and Welcome Chair Linda Kindred opened the meeting by welcoming all in attendance and reminded all that the attendance sheet at the back of the room was to be signed upon arrival. She added that if anyone needed to be absent from future meetings to contact her directly at 757-776-2286. She noted that if anyone had questions, to ask them at the end of the meeting. Opening prayer was then offered. Roll Call & Approval of October Minutes Present: Linda H Kindred-Chair, Lewis Dawley III- Vice Chair, Tonya L. Grant, Jamie Chapman, Lynda Burke, Martha L. Clark, James Goodbody, Phyllis Porter, Remi Travis Wright Absent: Cassandra Alston-Townsley, Camilla Doctor City/Lead Agency Reps: Mayor Tuck, David McCauley (HPRLS) Susan Elswick (HPRLS), Shantel Hudgins (HPRLS), LaNetta Davis (PAA), Stephanie Taylor (Foster Grandparent Program), Phyllis Palin (Hampton Human Services), Mary Fugere (Hampton CVB), Megan Grigorian (Virginia Peninsula Foodbank), Craig Gallaer (Virginia Peninsula Foodbank) Guests: Nancy Glenn, G. Scott, LaVerne Campbell, Donna Little Shantel Hudgins conducted the roll call; a quorum was present. The opportunity was given to the advisory board to review the October minutes. A motion to accept the October minutes as written was made, seconded, and unanimously approved. Opening Remarks Dave McCauley gave some opening remarks and proceeded to discuss informative updates on special current and future events that are to occur in the city in the coming weeks/months.  Blue Bird Gap Farm Fall Festival occurred on October 26th and October 27th where it was a successful event with an estimate of 15,000-16,000 people in attendance.  The Pumpkin Dunk occurred at Fort Monroe Community Center on October 26th.  The Parks and Recreation department won the Selfie Golden Award. 1   The Therapeutic Recreation Center held their “Pajama Jam Jammy Dance” on October 19th.  Senior Game Day is scheduled for November 13th at Mary W. Jackson Neighborhood Center.  Santa’s Attic Holiday Craft Show is scheduled for December 6th at City Hall.  Hampton Holly Days Parade is scheduled for December 7th in Downtown Hampton.  The Holiday Wonder Walk is scheduled for December 20th-December 25th at Water Walk rail.  The Holiday Celebration is scheduled for December 20th at Mary W. Jackson Neighborhood Center. Presentation- Megan Grigorian and Craig Gallaer (Virginia Peninsula Foodbank) Dave McCauley introduced the presentation speakers, Megan Grigorian and Craig Gallaer, from the Virginia Peninsula Foodbank to speak about the resources at the Foodbank for seniors experiencing food insecurity on the Peninsula. Megan began the presentation by sharing an overview of the Foodbank programs and how they support seniors who are in need of food assistance. The Foodbank provides food and assistance to six counties/cities that include Williamsburg, James City County, Surry, Hampton, Newport News, and York County. Over 60,000 neighbors in the community are experimenting food insecurities. The need for food assistance has increased up to 37% in the last year. The rising cost of food is a factor to the increase in food assistance. The Foodbank purchases $2,000,000 worth of produce every year to make sure that seniors are receiving the produce that they need. Some of the programs that the Foodbank offers include the following:  Food Distribution Program  Food For Kids Backpack Program  Kids Café Program  The Mobile Food Pantry Program  Summer Food Service Program  The Culinary Training Program  School Produce Market  The Emergency Food Assistance Program & Commodities Supplemental Food Program  Food Is Medicine Craig shared that the dignity and respect for everybody is a pillar of the Foodbank. He shared some stories of seniors where the Foodbank was very beneficial whereas individuals no longer had to make tough decisions between groceries or medication. The Foodbank has 44 partner agencies in Hampton and a total of 140 overall agencies that host local pantries in the community. He shared information about the “Food Is Medicine” program which utilizes healthcare partnerships to collaborate and combine resources with Foodbanks to bridge the gap between food insecurity and heath disparities within our community. 2 A home delivery model, mobile pantries, are available to apartment complexes. They have partnered with DoorDash where food boxes are created and delivered to seniors in various cities. Craig ended the presentation by sharing that their volunteers from last year provided the equivalent of 12 full time employees that did not have to hire which led to more donations to the program. Linda thanked Megan and Craig for an informative presentation. Presentation- Mary Fugere (Hampton Convention Visitors Bureau) Dave introduced the second presentation speaker, Mary Fugere, from the Hampton Convention Visitors Bureau. She began her presentation by sharing that the Veterans Day Parade and Celebration is scheduled to occur on November 9th from 9am to 4pm. The parade will begin in Phoebus and continue into Fort Monroe Continental Park. Following the parade at 12pm, there will be a ceremony that includes Veteran recognition, presentation of colors, and flag planting. She also shared information about the HamptonVA250 which is a Council appointed committee to plan the commemorations of the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. There are some cornerstone events that are already planned such as the following:  July 4, 2025—Fort Monroe  October 25-26, 2025—Battle of Hampton Land & Sea Reenactment  June 12, 2026—Blackbeard Pirate Festival  June 19, 2026—SAIL250, Sail Virginia & Juneteenth at Fort Monroe  July 4, 2026 Linda thanked Mary for an informative presentation. Lead Agency Reports Peninsula Agency on Aging (PAA) LaNetta Davis shared the following information: • On November 5th (Election Day), Hampton Roads Transit will not collect fares. The fares are being waived to give riders every opportunity to get to the polls to vote. For more information, please call (757)222-6100 or go to the website gohrt.com Foster Grandparent Program Stephanie Taylor shared the following information: • The Foster Grandparent Program is fully staffed. • There is an upcoming orientation scheduled for November 17th-21st for anyone 55 years older and older that is interested in serving our schools and early childhood centers. For more information, please contact (757)727-1858 to go through the background check process before attending orientation. 3  Subcommittee Reports Senior Awards: Linda Kindred shared the following information: • The Awards Committee and Hospitality Committee will meet on November 6th to make arrangements for the Senior Award Event on December 2nd. Public Comment Linda gave an opportunity for visitors/guests to speak. Mayor Tuck expressed his appreciation for the SCAC and how seniors are a valuable part of our community. Adjournment Linda closed the meeting. The meeting adjourned at 11:03am. Minutes submitted by Shantel Hudgins, SCAC Recorder 4