TARCOG leadership, along with officials from the Alabama Department of Senior Services (ADSS), Madison County, the City of Huntsville, and @studio60seniorcenter—which houses the Madison County Council on Aging—are proud to announce the opening of a new senior center that will serve as a Meals on Wheels distribution point at the Monrovia Community Center starting today.
Late this morning, 25 individuals in the Monrovia community received hot meals delivered by local volunteers. The site has been in development for about five years.
TARCOG Executive Director Michelle Gilliam Jordan said she’s excited to see this day finally arrive, adding that “it’s more than making a delivery—it’s helping a family in need.”
ADSS Nutrition Director Brittani Harris noted that the Monrovia site is the fourth new senior center to open this year.
“In my mind, this is the version of government and community that everybody really wants to see,” Harris said. “This is what the purpose of government is—to work together to meet the needs of the community, to care for people on an individual basis the way you would care for your family.”
Madison County Commissioner Phil Vandiver and Studio 60 Executive Director Tom Glynn shared their hope that, in time, the site will grow into a full-service senior center.
A gathering of community partners celebrating the opening of the new Monrovia Senior Center Meals on Wheels site on Monday, Nov. 17, included from left, Rene Breland, TARCOG Area Agency on Aging Advisory Council President Rene Breland, TRIO Community Meals Alabama Food Service Director – Guntersville, Rodrick Debardelaben, TARCOG Director of Aging Programs Sheila Dessau-Ivey, TRIO Delivery Driver Patrick Clay, Alabama Department of Senior Services Elderly Nutrition Program Director Brittani Harris, TARCOG Executive Director Michelle Jordan, TARCOG Community Service Coordinator Emmitt Davis, STUDIO 60 Nutrition Coordinator Rosalyn Leavell-Rice, Madison County Commission Phil Vandiver, Monrovia Senior Center Manager Michelle Georgantis, STUDIO 60 Executive Director Tom Glynn, Monrovia Senior Center Volunteers Ellen Gnassi, and Diane Pearson, Commissioner Vandiver’s Administrative Assistant Kelly Smith, and Monrovia Community Center Director Michael Kitchen.