HAYDEN — To celebrate the Hayden Senior Center rejoining the Hayden Chamber of Commerce, a ribbon-cutting took place Tuesday at their current location at the Coeur d'Alene Shrine Club.

But board chairwoman Kathy Verburg is on a mission to find a new home. 

“We’re looking for something to call our own. We were on Government Way up until two years ago when the building was sold and the rent was raised 62%. That kind of wiped us out,” Verburg said. 

Shortly before the building changed hands, the senior center put $50,000 into expanding their holdings, but they were forced to start anew when they were priced out of the building.

Hayden Senior Center has been around since the 1990s. Today, about 200 people use the senior center and about 400 lunches are provided each month.

“The seniors get overlooked because they figure we’re on our way out, but I’m not,” Verburg said. “For some of these seniors, this may be their only meal. And for a lot of them, it’s their socialization. That is what keeps people healthy."

Sharon Clamp said the move away from the old building has been difficult. 

“This isn’t the most visible location in the city of Hayden. when we moved here, a lot of people thought we just closed down,” Clamp said.

The group is looking for grants and Verburg is hoping to start a capital campaign.

“We’re not kids and we’re not pets, which makes it a little more difficult,” Verburg said.