Senior Coastsiders Go Shopping
by Delores Ann Sims

Most of my life I considered grocery shopping a chore. It was just something I did -- like making beds and doing the laundry. However, since I’ve retired to my cottage on the coast, grocery shopping has become an event.

Once a week the Senior Coastsiders van takes us shopping. We are picked up and driven to the Senior Center for lunch and socializing with our friends. After lunch we are dropped off at various stores in the area. An hour later we are picked up, purchases are loaded on the van, and we are taken home. The drivers not only take up to our doors but even carry our purchases inside for us. These drivers not only give us much needed help, but they enable us to be as independent as our health and finances will allow.

While we’re riding in the van, conversations are usually about our gardens, happenings in our lives, and our attitudes about the world around us. A warm comraderie is felt, drivers included, and friendships blossom. We care about each other. When a regular rider is missing, we want to know how they’re doing.

In this case, transportation provided by the Senior Coastsiders van translates into Quality of Life.