Andover senior center directors, users describe demand, ask council for AED and city support

Margaret Gibbons, director of the Andover Senior Center, told the Andover City Council the nonprofit served 15,678 meals last year and has more than 500 members, and asked the council to help the center obtain a defibrillator and consider longer-term support.

The senior center director described a daily average of about 77 in‑house diners and said the center served 10,927 in‑house meals and delivered 4,751 meals to homebound residents last year; she told the council the center projects serving more than 17,000 meals this year. Gibbons said the center received a $5,500 city grant this year and approximately $48,000 from the Butler County Department on Aging, and that the center relies heavily on fundraisers, donations and memorials to cover operating costs.

The numbers, the center’s services and an ask for an AED were the focus of public comments and a staff presentation. “The $5,500 grant we received from you was used in a very good way to offset food costs for a month and a half, two months,” Gibbons said. “We are projected to serve over 17,000 this year.”

Why this matters: the senior center functions as a daily meal site, social hub and…