The Red Hook Senior Center has done significant outreach during the pandemic to reach out to the seniors where they live while the center has had to shut its doors. The director Maria Sanchez has found herself even busier than before.
“I work more at home than I did when I was in the office,” Sanchez said. “I cross my t’s and dot my i’s. It is difficult working from home. I have to use all of my resources and make sure everything is taken care of.”
Valerie Hill is one of the seniors who regularly attended the Center. She thinks doing the various activities at home is going well.
“Having Maria online with the different classes keeps us connected and I really enjoy it,” Hill said. “I am pretty sure all the other seniors do also. Maria really keeps us connected.”
She has also participated in arts and crafts, bingo, painting, water coloring, a special Thanksgiving activity where they made turkeys and exercise classes on Zoom.
“For me, it keeps me in touch, because you don’t want to go out, you can’t go to many places because of the pandemic,” Hill said.
“The Zoom that Maria has is the best thing that could have happened since Covid, since they closed the senior center,” Hill said. “Every week I look forward to doing something different with Maria. It’s great.”
On Friday’s, they do either Bingo or a name-that-tune activity. Sanchez goes the extra mile to help the arts and crafts come to fruition.
“Twice a month, on Tuesday’s, we have arts and crafts,” Hill said. “Maria actually delivers supplies to us and then we Zoom in on the day it is going to happen. Catherine shows us how to do it and we do our arts and crafts.”
There is nutritionist who comes and teaches them about healthy eating, about blood pressure and lowering cholesterol, which Hill has appreciated.
“We actually do physical exercises,” Hill said. “Some of the seniors can’t stand and do the exercises, so they do chair exercises. It is really good.”
There are speakers who have informed Hill and other seniors about when home attendants are needed, elder abuse and scammers who might try to get into your account. She has been learning a lot.
Hill as well as other seniors were signed up for the GetFood NYC delivery program by Sanchez since the center would not be offering food anymore. She answered a few questions online and the twice a week delivery feeds her for the whole week.
The delivery food program that started at the beginning of the pandemic has no plans of stopping anytime soon. She has also been getting a vegetable delivery from the Miccio Center through their partnership with Red Hook Community Farm.
Guadalupe Moreno, who has been involved with the senior center for a year and a half, has also gotten a lot out of the programming.
She has had fun doing the activities and can understand everything the speakers say.
“It is like we are together,” Moreno said.
Moreno enjoys Delores who teaches them various exercises and she likes how the activities are explained to the seniors.
She thinks there are even advantages to being at home versus in person at the senior center.
“It is very good,” Moreno said. “It is like being in the senior center but at least at home you can get up and get water. When you are taking the class at the senior center you can’t even move but those are the rules. I like it how it is.”
She does miss the computer classes (and the tae-chi) that she had at the center. She was taught how to search for information and many of the basics like how to use Microsoft Word.
Nate’s Pharmacy has delivered her medication to her home, which has made it much easier for her.
Retired recently
Hill has been going to the Red Hook Senior Center since she retired two years ago. She did not grow up in Red Hook but moved to the neighborhood 30 years ago and then raised her kids in Red Hook.
“When I first moved here it was really bad,” Hill said. “The guns and drugs and all of that was really bad. But it has gotten a lot better. Now they are doing this construction trying to revitalize the neighborhood.”
She is looking forward to when the construction in the Red Hook Houses complex will be finished so that getting around will not be as complicated for the seniors.
“There is dirt everywhere, bricks everywhere, fences everywhere and sections are closed off.
“Once they finish the changes will be great,” Hill said. “It is just that the process is a mess.”
She used to enjoy going to the massive pool across the street from the Recreation Center. Hill also used to go to the Recreation Center and exercise in their gym when it was open.
She would go to the park and wishes there was still an area for the kids to play but that will take time (due to 4-phase lead contamination project).
“You have the track and the soccer field,” Hill said. “You have the play area for the kids. Most of that stuff they tore down because of the construction. Right now there is nowhere for the kids to play out there. It is going to be beautiful, it’s just the process of getting there.”
When Hill first moved to the neighborhood there was a tennis court, which was across from the Recreation Center. It was called the Stadium.
“It was a real nice tennis court but they took that away and put up a paddle ball wall,” Hill said. “My kids enjoyed playing tennis and I did too.”
Moreno has been involved with the Red Hook Senior Center for the last year and a half since she retired. The computer class was a major reason that she joined.
She was born in Washington D.C., and then she came to Brooklyn when she was a baby since her father was in the army and was sent to a base here.
Moreno moved to Puerto Rico after high school and after 40 years living in Puerto Rico she moved back to Brooklyn. She has lived in Red Hook for the last 17 years.
She used to enjoy doing various activities in Coffey Park. She likes the Red Hook Recreation Center but she can’t go now since it is closed due to Covid.
Other places that she frequented were IKEA, Kennedy Fried Chicken and C Town because it is the closest supermarket to where she lives. She thinks that Red Hook needs another grocery store as it is lacking one compared to how it used to be.
“Pathmark used to be on Lorraine Street and a 99 cent store but they closed it too,” Moreno said. “We need a new grocery store around here. It takes 10 minutes for me to get to the grocery store (C Town). To get to Food Bazaar (previously Fairway), I have to take the bus.”
She thinks Food Bazaar is a great supermarket and enjoys going there as well. Moreno very much enjoyed the selection and location of IKEA.
“I liked buying things there,” Moreno said.
