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What began as a simple idea - creating a safe and welcoming space for people to gather - has grown into a vital community resource serving both seniors and youth in the southern end of Caroline County. Pam Bockart, who has helped create the new Federalsburg Activity Center, said the Center also provides “a permanent home for Men For Change.”
Though they have only occupied the building since last fall, the Federalsburg Activity Center hosts many community programs. One of its most consistent groups has been local seniors, many of whom were displaced after mold problems forced the closure of their longtime gathering space at Federalsburg Town Hall. Now, senior citizens can gather every Friday to have lunch, play pool, and socialize. Board game day on Thursdays has also become part of the expanding schedule.
“There is more emphasis on the youth and very little for seniors,” Bockart said, “I’m a senior and [I] see their needs. They don’t have the luxury of going out to restaurants or on vacations. We’re an event for their weekend. Something they look forward to.”
Their outreach recently received a boost through a $5,000 grant from The Caroline Foundation, specifically designated to support senior lunches at the Center. “It means we can sustain our senior outreach…Thank you Caroline Foundation,” Bockhart said.
While the grant has certainly helped, organizers say funding remains one of their biggest challenges as a newly established organization. Bockart said she continues applying for grants to help offset costs and maintain services.
The Center also hosts Men For Change youth activities on Fridays, Young Life gatherings on Thursdays, and Sunday services and meals through Marshy Hope Church. Fundraisers like Grocery Bingo and the upcoming Spring Fest are also helping support the Center’s future.
