Mustard Seed hosts monthly forum

Jeanette Brown, Special to KP News

Taking care of the aged who need it most on the Key Peninsula is the focus of the Mustard Seed Project. Each month Mustard Seed hosts a Third Thursday Community Forum meeting from 10 a.m. to noon in the Brones Room of the Key Center Library.  The meetings focus on one of the four key topics regarding the aged in the community- housing, transportation, health and wellness, and information referral, said Edie Morgan, founder of the Mustard Seed Project.

January’s forum meeting focused on housing, with information on the Beacon Hill Village model for aging in place.

Founder of Shared Housing Services of Tacoma-Pierce County, Stella Jones, was the guest speaker. She described the program that matches potential housemates.

“(It is) a timely program that has great potential for folks who have considered opening their home to share space, daily tasks and monthly expenses,” Jones said.

Recently the Mustard Seed Project began referring senior KP residents to the program. Some of the questions that have come through the Key Senior Information Center led to the referrals, Morgan said.

Rosemary Pinneo shared information on the volunteer opportunities with Franciscan Hospice and Palliative Care. Pinneo is “looking for volunteers with warm hearts and good listening skills to support patients and their families”.

Hospice volunteers support patients and their families in the places they call home and Palliative care volunteers are Phone Pals.

The public is encouraged to attend the Feb. 19 meeting, which will focus on the topic of transportation, Morgan said. Mustard Seed collaborates with Catholic Community Services to provide transportation to seniors on the Key Peninsula, and there is a need for more volunteer drivers, she said. For more information on services for seniors, visit the Key Senior Information Center located on the southern side of the Key Center Library building. It is open weekdays 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.