By Mike Donahue

Moapa Valley Progress

You know you’re getting old when the clothes you put away until they’re back in vogue are not only back in style, you see the identical outfits for sale at the Moapa Valley Senior Citizen Center Thrift Shop.

“We sell literally everything at the store and even though all of our items are donated, that doesn’t mean they’re not fashionable and stylish,” Trombley said. “Some of the clothing items and outfits in the store have never been worn. They still have labels attached.”

Of course not everything sold at store is chic and trendy, but it is clean and relatively inexpensive.

“We have clothing for everyone – women, men, kids and babies – and it’s always washed or dry cleaned before we put it out,” Trombley said.

In addition to clothing, the shop has an inventory that can rival a department store. It’s stock includes dishes and glasses; knick knacks; serving ware; books; toys; power chairs; tools; lamps and furniture; electronics including computers, printers and FAX machines, among a huge variety of other goods.

“The thrift shop is the main source of income for the Senior Citizen Center, Trombley said. “We receive some funding from grants but we rely very heavily on the store to earn operating funds.”

It was a slow process getting the store licensed, but Trombley said once it was in operation “it’s really grown and been a money maker for us.”

The store is open for business from 8-11:30 a.m. Wednesdays and Saturdays, but donated items can be dropped off almost any time by knocking on the back door.

The thrift store is just one of many services the center offers specifically to seniors including snowbirds, those from cold climates who winter in the Moapa Valley area.

Open for about 2½ years, the new center serves lunch five days a week, which for many seniors is their primary meal of the day and the only opportunity they have to interact with others.

“Right now with the snowbirds coming back to the area, we’re serving about 90 lunches a day,” Trombley said. “We also deliver 24 meals a day via ‘Meals on Wheels’ for shut-ins, those who are completely unable to come to the center. Sometime in the future we may start offering a breakfast a couple of times a week.”

She said the center also provides transportation for some seniors who otherwise would not be able to make it to the center for lunch.

“For some of these people, this is the only daily contact they get outside their homes,” Trombley said.

Senior Citizen Center members are asked to donate $3 for lunch. The price is $4.50 for those under 60. Membership in the center for those 55 and up is $15 a year, a pretty good price for everything that comes with it.

The center, which is open from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday through Friday, boasts a quilting room, a ceramics room with a kiln, a billiard room and a library/computer room, all of which are available for use with membership. Additionally, there is a stage in the dining/multi-purpose room and a big-screen television where participants can watch programs and movies among other things.

Trombley said InfoWest Inc., a Southern Utah company, recently donated computer equipment that turned the senior center into a wireless hotspot so people can connect to the internet using their own equipment.

“Every Friday we also provide transportation to Lin’s Market for five or six people to grocery shop,” Trombley said.

Multi-purpose room activities include line dancing, bingo, yoga, a music jam session and an exercise class.