Age Friendly South Portland, in partnership with the South Portland Public Works Department, is once again providing its Sand Buckets for Seniors program this coming winter season.

Like last season’s successful program that served more 250 residents throughout the city, seniors and individuals with mobility issues can reach out to public works to receive a 5-gallon sand bucket to use on slippery walkways around their homes. Residents can call 207-767-7635 or email publicworks@southportland.org to request a bucket and/or sand refill.

For residents who received a sand bucket last winter, Age Friendly South Portland is requesting that the buckets be reused, if possible, for this winter’s program in order to reduce costs. Buckets should be placed outdoors in a location convenient and readily accessible to public works staff later this fall/prior to the first snowfall.

If you used the program last year, but do not intend to continue its services, please reach out to the public works department to return your bucket.

To learn more about this service, including to receive a bucket and/or sand refill, call 207-767-7635 or email publicworks@southportland.org.

Shoveling volunteers sought

It’s going to snow. That’s right, and we, Age Friendly South Portland, need volunteers to help shovel walks and mailboxes of older residents who can’t man those shovels.

We started offering snow shoveling last year using volunteers. It was a great success and we now need more helpers to commit to a single walk or mailbox for one of our seniors. We are getting many calls from people wanting to get on the snow shoveling list and we hope you can raise your arm (with a shovel in hand) and help them out.

We are asking each helper to work with one resident. Your work can help increase peoples’ safety and mobility so please consider helping us out. For more information, email shenderson@southportland.org, call 207-799-6350 to talk with Sue Henderson, or call 207-799-8888 to talk with Maxine Beecher. We can help you get signed up.

Assistance is available

When spring began, I felt euphoric watching the days get longer and leaves become full and flowers bloom. I could feel that summer would be endless. Yet, now winter is coming very soon and I watch the very busy squirrels. Like other Maine creatures, we get ready, too.

We may worry whether we will have enough wood or how are we going to pay to for heat, taxes, food and put gas in the car?

Costs are mind boggling for many reasons, all of them disquieting, all of them without quick or easy fixes. In the meantime, I believe what we need to do is help one another. I believe that each of us has something to give the other and the exchanges have nothing to do with monetary value, the value is caring about one another.

Margaret Mead was quoted as saying that the earliest sign of civilization she ever found was a skeleton of a person with a healed broken thigh bone. She said that was an indication of human civilization because such a break would have meant death unless others helped the individual.

Helping one another is a core attribute of human society. Now is a time we need each other. There is social, political, climate, and financial stress in addition to the pandemic that we all need a hand with in one way or another. What each person needs and can give are rich in variation.

Older adults have wisdom, skills and a history to tell that are vital to today’s world and to the future. It is also a gift to the young to let them give to others, older adults can benefit from their strength, knowledge and skills. We need each other. Young and old, we can help each other.

Older residents, who have paid years of taxes and help build our city, who are now on fixed incomes that are hit hard by increasing prices should feel comfortable in seeking help from programs to assist with the cost of heating, food, transportation and taxes.

During the pandemic, businesses have been able to seek help, there have been many programs to assist many people. People on fixed incomes need some help getting through these times, too. That is the right and just thing to do. So please do not be too shy or too proud or too stubborn to seek some help. You can call the South Portland Social Service Department, 767-7617, to find out more about income-based programs to help with heating costs.

You have and will hear more from Age Friendly South Portland about tax relief, transportation and help with food. Please reach out to us; there is a lot going on. Age Friendly South Portland is a group whose purpose is to help older citizens age safely in place and your input is valuable. If you would like to work with Age Friendly South Portland, feel free to call me at 799-6350.

Susan Henderson, secretary for Age Friendly South Portland. She can be reached at shenderson@southportland.org.

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