The Bryan County Retired Senior and Volunteer Program (RSVP) is seeking the public’s help to ensure the program continues to help senior citizens in the community.
Sheri Schulze has been director of RSVP since January after longtime director Sheila Risner retired in December 2024. RSVP began in Bryan County in July of 1973, and it serves senior citizens 55-plus.
“Our big things that we do is Meals on Wheels and then we have the commodity food supplement program where we give seniors 60-plus 35-pound boxes of food that has shelf-stable food in it like canned goods, rice, beans and then they get the commodity cheese with it,” Schulze said.
“We also do medical transportation. We have a volunteer husband and wife who will take people to their medical appointments if they schedule through us and it’s free to the senior.”
According to Schulze, RSVP is presently funded through AmeriCorps Seniors, a federal grant agency, and RSVP is on the budget to be cut.
“It’s kind of pending right now,” Schulze said. “When all of the workers were furloughed, AmeriCorps, people at the top, they were also furloughed and they were able to come back to work on a stopgap bill.”
Schulze said the RSVP grant ends in March, and she does not know if they will be funded again.
“We’re also really low on funds right now since we’re at the end of our grant cycle and we just need all the donations that we can get from the community,” Schulze said. The RSVP website, www. bryancountyrsvp.com, has a donate button and people can also visit the RSVP office at the Ron Cross Senior Activity Center and donate.
RSVP also visits other senior centers to support their volunteers.
“So, we were talking about bringing them hats and stuff, “Schulze said. “We just appreciate them because all of the seniors that go to those centers and cook and sometimes, they don’t get paid for it and they’re part of our program, too.”
The program currently has about 125 volunteers and is open to having more who want to help.
Earlier this month, RSVP had its Christmas social at the Clay Jones Community Center at the fairgrounds.
“It’s just our giveback to the seniors that volunteer throughout the year,” Schulze said. “If they serve 10 hours of service, we treat them to a meal. We got them little hats to take home and every year we just do this at Christmas time to say thank you.”
