Hickory – Seniors Morning Out participants will enjoy a variety of activities in March including cooking class and nutrition education.

Any resident of Catawba County who is 60 or better is invited to join Seniors Morning Out, which is held between 8:30 am and 12:30 pm, Monday through Thursday at five convenient locations. A hot, balanced lunch is served each day. Programs are free to participants, who may pick and choose which days to attend. Bus transportation to and from the sites is available in some locations.

Other program highlights are as follows.

At the Newton site, located at First Presbyterian Church, 701 N. Main Ave., Newton: Mar 1, Hearing Loss with Audiologist Bill Beck from Mountain Ear Hearing; Mar 5, Shopping at Walmart and Lunch at Gold Mine Café; Mar 8, Hoarding with Jeff Dula from Vaya Health; Mar12, Cooking Class-Mint Chocolate Chip Cheesecake Dip; Mar 13, Is Your Indoor Air Healthy? with Ann Simmons from Catawba County Cooperative Extension; Mar 15, Celebrate St. Patrick’s Day!-wear green and bring green snacks-Fred Wilson to sing; Mar 20, Sentimental Journey to perform; Mar 22, Movie Day: “A Quiet Man”; Mar 26, gospel group John 3:16 to perform; Mar 27, Effects of Medication on Diabetes with Annette Nichols; Mar 29, Bowling at Pin Station and shopping at Family Dollar then Lunch at Pizza Hut. If you would like to participate in any of these activities, call Robyn Curtis at 828-455-4133 at least two days in advance.

At the West Hickory site, located at the West Hickory Senior Center, 400 17th St. SW, Hickory: Mar 1, Trivia with Lisa and Piano performance by Kathy Miner; Mar 5, Shopping at Walmart; Mar 6, Legal and Financial with Julie Cook-Walker from the Alzheimer’s Association; Mar 8, Family Feud and Sentimental Journey to perform; Mar 12, Twisters and polygons! What do I Do? With Karen Youssy, Catawba County Emergency Management Coordinator; Mar 14, Craft Class-Blarney Stones; Mar 15, Cooking Class-Irish Potatoes and Saving Your Vision with Greg Morgan from Services for the Blind; Mar 19, Movie Day: “Oh Brother, Where Art Thou” at the Patrick Beaver Library; Mar 20, Hoarding with Jeff Dula from Vaya Health; Mar 21, Breakfast at Hardees then Mindful Eating with Ann Simmons at the Newton Library; Mar 22, Gospel Music by John 3:16; Mar 28, Breakfast at Bojangles, the Change Your Protein: Meal Planning with Ann Simmons at the Newton Library.

Don’t miss the Senior Health and Wellness Fair on April 5 from 9:00am –noon. Information will be shared by these organizations: Adult Life, Life Transitions, Are you Ok?- Sheriff’s Department, Alzheimer’s Association, Catawba County Cooperative Extension, NC Lions Club, Catawba Valley Medical Center, Services for the Blind, Services for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing and Catawba Regional Hospice. RSVP by March 28 and call 323-8746 as a free lunch will be provided. If you would like to participate in any of other site activities, contact Lisa Adams at 828-323-8746 at least two days in advance.

At the East Hickory site, located at Huntington Hills Church of God, 2123 Fifth St. NE, Hickory: Mar 1, Eating for A Healthy Colon: Colon Cancer Awareness; Mar 6, Breakfast at Bob Evans and Shopping at Walmart; Mar 7, Sentimental Journey to perform; Mar 13, St. Patrick’s Day Party with Suzy Killian; Mar 14, Shopping at Hamrick’s and Lunch at Red Lobster; Mar 15, Why They Say An Apple A Day with Ruthie Hill; Mar 20; Plant a Flower in a Pot for the First Day of Spring with Ruthie Hill and Rita; Mar 21, Medicare Fraud with Diane Trainer; Mar 22, Shopping at Walmart; Mar 27, Cooking Class-Low Sugar Watergate Salad; Mar 29, Birthday Party. If you would like to participate in any of these activities, contact Rita Pritchard at least two days in advance by calling 828-320-5963.

At the Catawba site, located at Hopewell United Methodist Church, 2211 Hopewell Church Road, Sherrills Ford: Mar 1, Chronic Fatigue Awareness and Treatment with Lupe Avalos from CVMC; Mar 6, Bowling at Pin Station and Shopping at Walmart; Mar 8, Healthy Hearing for the Elderly with Bill Beck from Mountain Ear Hearing; Mar 13, Bowling at pin Station and Shopping at Walmart; Mar 14, Sentimental Journey to perform; Mar 15, Craft Class with Tonya Jarnac; Mar 20, Getting to Know My SMO Friends; Mar 21, Cooking Class- Making Spinach Dip for National Chip and Dip Day; Mar 22 Craft Class-Making Spring Centerpieces; Mar 27, Hoarding by Jeff Dula from Vaya Health; Mar 29, Shopping at Dollar Tree and Lunch at Harbor Inn. If you would like to participate in any of these activities, call Wendy Thomas at 828-320-0434 at least two days in advance.

At the Maiden site, located at the Maiden Community Center, East Second Street and Klutz Street, Maiden: Mar 1; Diabetic Management and Empowering with Doreen King, Diabetes Education Specialist; Mar 5, Cooking Class- Healthy Green Salad; Mar 6, Hoarding with Jeff Dula from Vaya Health; Mar 7, Can Allergies Be Harmful?; Mar 12, Craft Class- St. Patrick’s Day Wreath; Mar 13, Shopping at Hamrick’s and Lunch at Bob Evans; Mar 14 St Patrick’s Day and Easter Party; Mar 19, Jason Myers to play piano and sing; Mar 21, Words That Confuse Us; Mar 22, How To Eat Healthy When You Don’t Feel Like Cooking with Ann Simmons from Catawba County Cooperative Extension; Mar 26, Does Our Diet Affect Cancer?; Mar 27, Sentimental Journey to perform. If you would like to attend any of these programs, please call Loretta Hefner at 828-320-5966 at least two days in advance.

Seniors Morning Out is operated by Senior Nutrition Services of Catawba County Social Services and is in need of volunteers to assist with the program between 8:30am and noon, Monday – Thursday. Please call 695-5617 if interested. In addition to SMO, Senior Nutrition Services operates Meals on Wheels and related programs in the county. Additional volunteers are urgently needed to deliver Meals on Wheels. You can volunteer as little as one and a half hours a month. The program is also conducting its annual fund-raising drive at this time. To find out more, contact Senior Nutrition at 828-695-5610 during regular business hours, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, except for holidays. For the latest updates, like their Facebook page at www.facebook.com/MealsonWheelsofCatawbaCounty, or visit their website at www.MealsonWheelsofCatawbaCounty.org.

Catawba County Senior Nutrition Services is a United Way funded partner. Catawba County United Way’s mission is to increase the organized capacity of people to help others by mobilizing the caring power of our community. For more information, locate us on Facebook, 828-327-6851 or www.ccunitedway.com