Senior couple Danielle and Steven Sneeringer (right) visit one of the booths at Gridley’s Senior Appreciation Day. Photo by Seti Long

GRIDLEY, CA (MPG) – A special event was arranged last week to support and recognize the senior population of Gridley with the city’s first Senior Citizen Appreciation Day.

For three hours between 3:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m., Daddow Park hosted a resource fair and provided free food and drinks for seniors.

For those that needed it, the Gridley’ Feather Flyer, a low-cost shuttle, offered free travel to and from the event.

City Councilmember Angel Calderone was on site, sharing that his public position and previous career in mental health and behavioral services put him in the orbit of many seniors that often expressed feeling “invisible” or overlooked as a vital part of communities.

In addition to that, Calderone says many face financial struggles operating on a fixed income in the face of rising waste management and rising electricity rates.

“We have seniors that are suffering and it’s something that we can support,” said Calderone.

Resources on site included Passages – specializing in senior solutions, North Valley Catholic Social Services, Butte County Public Health – Senior Suicide Prevention Team and others such as Grocery Outlet, Gridley Area Chamber of Commerce, Waste Management, Gridley Lions Club, Gridley Parks and Recreation, and of course, the City of Gridley.

Attendees appeared to enjoy themselves, milling about and enjoying the free meal.

“I wanted to recognize their (seniors) contributions to our area because they’ve done something,” said Calderone, noting that Gridley senior community is an important part of the community.