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VALLEY — Valley Lions Club members were up bright and early Tuesday morning doing a good deed for Valley seniors. They were at Valley Senior Center packing 138 fruit bags to distribute to senior center participants and homebound seniors.

The senior center remains closed due to COVID-19 precautions, but the daily meals continue to be delivered by city buses. An estimated 25 senior center participants are driving to the center to pick up their meals underneath the drive-in canopy, and the remaining seniors are having their meals delivered to their homes.

“The hot meals are driven here every morning Monday through Friday,” said Valley Senior Center Director Melissa Pitchford. “They are provided by the state at no cost to our seniors. When they arrive here, we make sure they meet the right temperature and then deliver them by bus. Our three buses leave here around 10:30 a.m. and are usually back within two hours. We want to make sure the meal is still warm when the seniors receive it. We appreciate what the Lions Club did for us today. In addition to their normal meal, each senior got two apples and two oranges. I know they appreciated it.”

Lions Club members thanked Givorns for giving them a very good deal on the apples and oranges.

“Givorns does a lot for us, and we appreciate it,” Pitchford said. “They are very good about getting us bags when we need them.”

Pitchford said she misses her seniors and is always glad to talk to them when they call.

“They want to know when we are reopening,” she said. “It breaks my heart that I don’t know what to say. I know it’s hard on them that the center is closed, but it’s for everyone’s safety. We won’t reopen until the state tells us it’s safe. We realize we can’t be having group meetings, especially with seniors, as long as the infections continue.”

At present, Valley Senior Center is delivering meals to 95 homebound people and 18 seniors in the congregate program. An estimated 25 people in the congregate program get their meals in the center’s drive-through area.