If anyone needs to track down Sadie Hernandez at lunchtime,
there’s only one place they need to look: Jovenes de Anta
ño, the Hollister senior center where she volunteers.
Hollister – If anyone needs to track down Sadie Hernandez at lunchtime, there’s only one place they need to look: Jovenes de Antaño, the Hollister senior center where she volunteers.
“It seems like I’m missing something if I don’t come,” said Hernandez, 72.
She added that if her daughters call her in the morning, they always know that she’s about to head off for the senior center.
Hernandez has been a Jovenes de Antaño volunteer for more than five years and worked as a Meals on Wheels driver for 10 years before that. For many older Hollister residents, the senior center is a big part of their daily routines, Hernandez said. It’s a chance for them to eat, ask advice and assistance and, above all, socialize with old friends.
“When you become a senior, that isn’t the end of you,” Hernandez said.
Jovenes de Antaño Executive Director Pauline Valdivia, a city councilwoman, gave Hernandez some extra responsibility a few weeks ago, when she named Hernandez the center’s lead volunteer. Before the “promotion,” Hernandez said she helped wherever she was needed, but now she greets guests when they arrive and also makes sure the whole lunch service runs smoothly.
At every lunch, Hernandez said she goes from table to table, checking in with everyone.
“I like to meet people – that’s my thing,” Hernandez said.
Valdivia called Hernandez “a hard worker” who knows how to connect with other seniors. Not only does she keep the lunch operation running, but Hernandez was also recently elected to sit on the Jovenes de Antaño Board of Directors.
“Sadie’s been with us for a while,” Valdivia said. It’s easy to see Hernandez’s dedication to helping seniors, she added. “When she has a cause, she moves.”
Hernandez said she looks forward to seeing her friends every day. But she also admitted it can be hard to deal with inevitably bad news that comes when you’re working with seniors.
“You know who is sick, who’s been sick,” Hernandez said. “You can go down the line.”
For now, though, Hernandez said she’s enjoying her new responsibilities and looking forward to the senior center’s holiday celebrations.
“If I’m still around then,” Hernandez said with a laugh.
