SWAMPSCOTT — Seniors were able to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day this year despite the pandemic, with a drive-through meal pickup of corned beef and cabbage.
The Swampscott Senior Center passed out approximately 150 free meals Wednesday morning to seniors who arrived by car. Volunteers dressed in festive green hats and necklaces passed out the bagged food while Irish music played on a boombox.
“We wanted to see our folks and give them a nutritious meal,” said Gina Bush, the center’s acting director and outreach coordinator. “We just continue to do these creative events so we can see each other until we can be together again.”
Bush said the Senior Center has held these events monthly during the pandemic, including for Valentine’s Day, Thanksgiving and the winter holidays. In September, it held an outdoor carhop event with a live band.
“We hope to bring that back again in the warmer months,” Bush said.
The event was sponsored by Peabody Properties, which will operate the Machon senior living apartments in town, set to open in July. Joe Jerdon, a property manager with the company, attended to pass out information about the facility.
“We are new to Swampscott and wanted to get over here to meet residents,” Jerdon said. “It’s been tough to do outreach, so we wanted to meet the people that we built the property for. A lot of our applicants are here, so it’s good to put names to faces.”
The Senior Center’s next grab-and-go event will be held on April 1 for the Boston Red Sox opening day.
