Last week, I read my copy of The Laurel Independent after eating a warm nutritious lunch that is served five days a week by Rene Marshall at the Laurel Beltsville Senior Activity Center.

As usual, I discovered a wide range of wonderful, informative articles. The multicolored balls of thread and knitting needles titled, “Hidden gem discovered in Laurel” caught my attention. For some reason, my heart began to palpitate just a little as I began to reminisce about more than a half dozen activities in which I participated several years before the COVID pandemic and currently.

Yes, I remember bustling Spanish classes, computer classes, dance classes, numerous bus trips and the exhilaration of showcasing my own crochet artwork. How can I forget being featured in the Senior Hometown Heroes 2021 calendar as one of our hometown heroes!

Yet for me, my greatest gem at the center was and still is my daily trip where I am greeted with kindness, and I am able to interact with other seniors to enjoy a warm delicious lunch served with hot tea or coffee for a nominal donation is priceless.

For this, I thank Marshall, who is the manager of the Prince George’s County senior nutrition program located in the Laurel Beltsville Senior Activity Center.

Janet Griffin

Laurel