The People Helping People program of the Boothbay Region Health & Wellness Foundation recently received a grant of $3,000 from the Bessie D. Brooks Trust. Mrs. Brooks was a former resident of the Bath/Westport area. When she died, she left a trust fund to assist non-profit 501c3 organizations specializing in providing services to the elderly. This is the second grant the program has received from the Trust.

People Helping People is a local senior support network for seniors and disabled people living alone in the Boothbay Region. The group provides very low-cost, volunteer-supplied service to people who are unable to drive, do errands, organize things in their living space, or are simply lonely. These services supplement the help that people who can’t drive typically receive from neighbors, friends, and family members. It helps to lighten the load. Each paying member receives up to three services per week. Often these are rides to the YMCA and the grocery store, rides to medical appointments, rides to the hairdresser or to community events. Sometimes the service involves picking up groceries for someone, taking things to the dump, walking a dog, doing a few dishes, or helping with laundry. Sometimes it’s dropping by for a visit, so that a family member can get out of the house, or calling someone every day to check on them and to chat briefly. These services are provided either by other People Helping People members, by volunteers, or by our part-time service coordinator, Rachel Tibbetts.

Here’s a note we received from one 80-year old member’s daughter (who lives out of state): “I can say my father seems to be doing so well lately. He seems so calm, bubbly, secure, funny and happy. He seems like a different person lately. He has come a longgg way from 3 years ago. I'm amazed at the difference … Thanks for all you do!”

The Bessie D. Brooks grant will be used to help defray the cost of coordinating and delivering services and administering the program. Members’ fees range from $10/month to $100/month, depending on income. The program costs about $15,000/year to run and membership fees only pay one third of the cost, so the funding gap is made up from grants and donations to the program through the Wellness Foundation.

Volunteers Needed! We really need a few more folks to help out, particularly now that the summer volunteers are leaving. Often, a volunteer is paired with one or two members and given duties that occur on a regularly scheduled basis—things that fit in with your normal routine. There’s great satisfaction and you’ll meet new friends. For more information about the program and/or to volunteer, please contact Patty Seybold, 633-4368.