The Homestead Room of the Eleanor Town Hall served as eating headquarters for the Valentine’s Day luncheon.

Senior citizens from Eleanor and surrounding communities got some love this past Saturday, February 14, when the town put on a special Valentine’s Day Luncheon just for them. Over seventy-five people showed up at the Homestead Room of the Eleanor Town Hall to enjoy friendship and fellowship. The menu featured a variety of soups, including chicken noodle, potato cheddar, Western bean, and vegetable beef, as well as chicken salad sandwiches, cornbread, rolls, and cookies.

The soups were provided by S.T.A.R.S. – Serving Together A Risen Savior – a countywide religious organization dedicated to community service, and the sandwiches were provided by Maveen’s Small Town Cravings, a new restaurant located in Eleanor. Volunteers from the town’s events committee and Buffalo High School helped serve food and do clean up duty.

Eleanor’s Valentine’s Day Luncheon first began in 2019, with the purpose of serving the large senior population in town and nearby area. “The focus has been to provide more events like this so that seniors can socialize and get together,” said Mayor Cam Clendenin. “The other goal is to provide opportunities for youth to have community service opportunities.”

“We felt that there was a bigger gap created in the past few years between seniors and youth in the community,” Clendenin explained. “Having events for seniors put on by student volunteers bridges the gap. With the pandemic, events were cancelled, and the school system was more restrictive on field trips and outside events. Now all that has been lifted and everything is normal. Creating these opportunities will put things the way they should be. It is great to be a part of the luncheon; you get to know people and learn what makes Eleanor as great as it is.”