Despite calls for it to close, Lake City Center remains open, serving and delivering meals

COEUR d’ALENE — One person showed up for the four-hour art class Tuesday morning at the Lake City Center.

One person — other than staff — showed up to eat lunch inside at the Lake City Center.

That person was 86-year-old Wanda Vining.

“I got more done today than I ever have,” she said of the art class.

As for the Alaskan cod fish sandwich, lunch was great, too.

“Everything is nice and clean. There is nobody that seems to be sick,” Vining said, smiling. “And everybody is just as nice as can be. It’s so nice to be waited on when I’m the only one.”

But Vining said she’s going out less often these days with the coronavirus outbreak. It worries her, but not enough to stop her from venturing out for occasional walks or to eat the noon meals she has enjoyed at the Lake City Center for several years.

“My daughter helps me with shopping, so I stay home,” she said.

Director Bob Small is doing all he can to keep the center from shutting its doors.

“Absolutely, we’re going to stay open,” he said. “We have to. We have people to serve.”

While other senior centers in the area have closed, the Lake City Center stands nearly alone in doing the opposite.

“If the virus doesn’t get us, the stress is going to kill us,” Small said, laughing.

He has read and heard comments the center should close, but he has staff he wants to keep employed. He has bills to pay, like $5,000 a month for rent and utilities.

“As long as we’re distancing. We sanitize two to three times a day,” he said. “I mean, we’re doing everything we can.”

All that said, Small said he could use help.

Volunteer drivers are delivering about 100 Meals on Wheels, three days a week. They’re on the front line, Small said, and they need latex gloves and hand sanitizer. He not only can’t find them anywhere; he doesn’t have extra money around to buy them, either.

“We’re on a very tight budget,” he said. “We couldn’t even secure those items. I tried.”

The center’s takeout, drive-thru lunch service started strong last week, with 37 on Friday, but slowed this week. Only a few called in and came by Monday.

Other center activities like pool and dancing have had fewer show up and the list of cancellations of support groups that meet there is growing. Bingo, the center’s largest fundraiser that brings in a few thousand a month, has been suspended.

“That’s a huge hit,” Small said.

End of the day, he knows those over 60, his primary visitors, are more susceptible to the coronavirus.

“They’re getting scared,” Small said. “They’re getting worried.”

He said all people, not just seniors, are welcome to eat lunch inside — limit of nine visitors, three tables, three per table. Get a great meal for a few bucks and support the center, Small said.

“We don’t want to lose this team,” he said. “We need to get the word out.”

Vining, for one, hopes she’s not homebound for long.

“I’m going to have cabin fever very soon,” she said.