Kansas City Shepherd's Center

Their works for seniors in the area certainly are of great service to seniors. It is a valuable resource for the community. Their works are delivering meals on wheels and volunteerism and trips and special events and regular programs of interest. We are fortunate to have that available in our area to serve that senior audience

They have been there to support me since 2014 when my sister passed away. She was my best friendm my transportation and my link to Community. I started attending Adventures in Learning and was provided contact with others while I recovered from colon cancer surgery and treatment. During the 2020 pandemic, I received meals and visits, toilet paper and special food and supply deliveries. It was truly life saving. I have learned about and been able to use programs to help me age in place and maintain contact with my community. They provide a variety of services needed to keep seniors connected to the world around them.

KC Shepherd's Center has been a strong local advocate and leader for older adults. Through their leadership, Jackson County, MO passed a senior service levy which will establish a senior service fund. For clients, participants and partner agencies alike, KCSC is an important piece of our aging puzzle!

Shepherd's Center does terrific work in supporting the senior community through a series of programs with the theme "seniors helping seniors." Through a variety of programs such as meals on wheels, fall leaf raking, telephone buddies, senior classes and others, the Shepherd's Center helps senior citizens in a number of ways. The program began here in Kansas City and now counts many Shepherd's Centers across the country.

Kansas City Shepherd's Center not only recognizes seniors at their annual "70 Over 70" event, but they engage them, serve them, feed them, educate them and love them. They have a multitude of services that touch all aspects of life for seniors in our community, so that these folks can stay engaged, happy, socialized, healthy and, hopefully, living at the home they love for as long as possible. The staff is focused on all things senior and works tirelessly to raise funds and organize programming to get the biggest "bang for the buck" possible to support all seniors. I joyfully serve on the KCSC Board and love engaging with the many others in the community who also want to optimize what KCSC can for for our seniors. There are lots of roles for volunteers to be "Meals on Wheels" drivers, Phone Pals, office support staff and many other things to help reach our KC area senior population.

Shepherds center is doing amazing things for older adults all throughout the Kansas City area. The staff and the programs are both incredibly high quality and it is such a needed resource for the growing population of older adults in the area. They offer meal resources, adventures in learning, social opportunities, educational opportunities and so much more. Their devout respect for and treatment of older adults warms my heart and is the way it should be. I hope they continue to get the attention and awards they deserve.

I want to help, moving from South Florida to Kansas City in April

Busy, busy, busy. That is how I would describe life at the Shepherds Center of KC Central. Whether they are coordinating daily Meals on Wheels deliveries, planning for their KC Rakes volunteer program each fall (raking yards/ensuring yard waste bags make it to the curb for those no longer able to) or filling & delivering Christmas 'goodie bags' each holiday season, there is little time for rest. On top of this, they are running programs to keep local seniors active and informed. You might think they would be quite worn out but they are full of smiles every time I see them. Great organization full of great folks!

I’ve been lucky enough to volunteer for this outstanding organization for almost 20 years. They provide much care and attention to older adults in the area, allowing them to live at home, interact with other people, learn and remain positive. Older adults are often forgotten, and the Shepherd’s Center provides the much needed care and attention that older adults deserve.

Shepherd Center of Kansas City Central is about caring. Caring enough about seniors who might not have enough to eat, or cannot prepare their own meals, by providing nutritious meals through Meals on Wheels. Caring enough about seniors who are aging in place in their own home or apartment by providing senior companions who provide assistance in light household duties.
These are just two of the programs of Shepherd Center of Kansas City Central that combine caring and action solutions to pressing needs of seniors.

Shepherd’s Center of Kansas City Central has served seniors in the Kansas City area since 1972. The programs respond to the real, daily needs of seniors. A small staff and large contingent of volunteers deliver weekday meals, provide in-home companionship and offer weekly classes and social interaction opportunities for hundreds of seniors. Programs are UNBUREAUCRATIC and anyone who donates to the agency can be assured that the money goes directly into serving seniors and not to extraneous administrative and program expenses.

I have been volunteering to deliver meals to senior citizens in South Kansas City as one of the programs of Shepherd Center Central (SCC).

I cannot stress how important this program is to our aging community. Most are living alone, do not drive, and have limited contact with others. I have been able through SCC to request that care givers and family members be contacted to assist them when conditions or changes are observed.

I have found this program to be very important to these individuals and very fulfilling as a volunteer in the community.

I have been on the Shepherd Center's board for several years and am proud of the programs and services offered by this wonderful organization. 10,000 people are turning 65 every day! The need for services and programs for people as they age is huge. Thanks to Shepherd's Center of Kansas City Central for providing Meals on Wheels, Senior Companions, Medicare Counseling, KC Rakes, Care Connection as well as Adventures in Learning to keep them active and engaged. The SCC staff does a fabulous job and we are lucky to have such an organization in Kansas City.

I enjoy serving dinner to the Senior Companions at their bi-annual Volunteer Recognition events. These women are low-income people able to volunteer their time and talents for another low-income person who has more limits, usually physical their they do. Many of them volunteer for over 5 years at least. It is inspiring to me as I age to see other women making most of their older years and making themselves available for being of service. We do not have to give up on life at age 65!!!

I was an employee of the Shepherd Center for 6 years and saw first hand the impact that this agency had on the community. As I served as the Volunteer Coordinator I was able to see how the Meals on Wheels program provided nutrition to the home-bound clients but more importantly the personal contact of encouragement and friendship the volunteers provided to the clients. For some clients this was the only daily contact that they had for many days each week. This program also brought great personal satisfaction and purpose to the volunteer drivers as well.

The Adventures and Learning Program is a great example of what active older adults can plan/organize for their peers that is intellectually challenging as well as socially fun and explore community awareness.

The Senior Companion Program which I was the director of for 4 years until I retired, is currently being threatened of losing it's federal funding. This is a very unique program that serves the Senior Companion Volunteer by providing purpose to serve the community and receive a very small stipend for the 15 - 40 hours of service each week. For the client that the Senior Companion Volunteer serves they benefit from the friendship, the assistance that they need to live independently and the peace of mind that someone is with them to encourage them to eat and exercise each day. For the clients families this program allows the family members to continue to work or go back to school and provide respite for them. Since this is the only Senior Program in the Greater Kansas City area it is no surprise that the requests for a Senior Companion to assist a client and their family is much greater than what the Program can provide; there is a long waiting list of clients and their families needing assistance.

The programs that the Shepherd Center provide reach so many older adults of many ages and levels of need. The programs are well managed and strengthens our community. It is for these reasons I recently agreed to serve on the Board of the Shepherd Center so that I can do my part in supporting an organization that I strongly believe is valuable and needed.

Great organization focused on the needs of seniors in the greater Kansas City area. Programs, like Meals on Wheels and the Senior Companion program, work to assist the low income and home bound in the area while other programs, like Adventures in Learning, work to enrich the daily life's of active seniors in our community - Seniors - our community Treasures!!

I have been a Meals on Wheels driver for the Shepherds Center for a little over eight years. The Center provides this service and several others to seniors in the Kansas City area and it does so in a compassionate, efficient, and thoughtful manner. Pam and her staff are outstanding. They put in many hours to make sure that their programs are run well and their clientele are well served.

I have been a board member for Shepherd's Center Central for several years. Mere words cannot express the width and breadth of the services that are provided by this outstanding organization. Their Meals of Wheels program brings members of the community together and significantly impacts the lives of many older adults. Most of the recipients lack the resources and would go hungry without the program. The sheer magnitude of the effort required to serve over 200 adults daily is hard to imagine....unless you've been there and done it. Another tremendous offering is the educational Medicare Assistance Program to explain the complexities of Medicare benefits. Understanding the enrollment procedures and navigating the nuances are complicated at best and daunting to almost everyone. These are but a couple of the valuable and rewarding opportunities that Shepherd's Center Central makes available. This is a great and caring organization that is more than worthy of anyone's support, especially if the greatest generation has any place at all in your hearts, because that is the predominant population that we serve. Could there be a better avenue whereby we could express our gratitude for their sacrifices?

This organization, its incredibly hard-working staff and hundreds of volunteers exemplify the very best that we can be by doing for others in need every day. From delivering nourishing meals to those who cannot leave their homes and serving as companions to the elderly to explaining the intricacies of Medicare to reduce the cost of health care for their fellow citizens, SCC's service providers show how a community can pull together and get things done. I have served on the board of this organization and give annually so that many otherwise vulnerable people can remain in their own homes with dignity through their final years. The programs under SCC's umbrella are operated with utmost efficiency to ensure that not a penny is wasted. Caring for the elderly and poor and disabled isn't flashy or headline-grabbing, but it defines who we are as human beings. I am proud to affiliate myself with Shepherd Center of Kansas City Central.

I only recently became involved with Shepherds Center and was amazed by the breadth of services provided. They help make aging easier and more fulfilling by offering everything from Meals on Wheels and Senior Companions to Educational Class. Costs are minimal so folks of every income level reap great benefits. I find the staff and volunteers to be passionate and dedicated. I am honored and inspired to work such a great organization and look forward to enhancing the services offered in the future.

Shepards Center serves an under served and growing population, our senior citizens. By keeping our seniors vital and independent seniors can continue contributing to our community. My father just died at age 95 and I saw first hand how important his activity was in keeping his life meaningful. We will be reaching that point in our life (some sooner than others) and we will need, and/or see the need of the services SCC provides.

I've served Shepherd's Center Central (SCC) for less than one year, and was very surprised to see the statistics of how many volunteers actively support it's efforts. Last year, for just the Senior Companion program, volunteers contributed well over 80,000 hours to helping the older population of metro Kansas City remain in their own homes instead of living in institutions. This is just one of its programs, and each has an equally significant impact. I'm delighted to contribute my time and energy to this excellent organization, and look forward to its growth and continued positive influence on society.

I have volunteered with Shepherds' Center Central for over 10 years, doing Meals on Wheels and Medicare counseling. They are extremely supportive of their volunteers, providing ongoing communication, support and recognition. The programs they operate to assist seniors are well run, compassionate, and meet an important community need. The staff and leadership are top notch with extraordinary dedication. This is a class organization.