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Clear skies. Low 64F. Winds NNW at 10 to 15 mph..

Clear skies. Low 64F. Winds NNW at 10 to 15 mph.

St. Helens Senior Center Director Kathy Innocenti hands the building key to the incoming center director Justin Watson. Innocenti retires at the end of July after serving as director for the past three years.

"This has been a wonderful time, even with the pandemic, it has been very interesting, and I have learned so much and got to know a lot of great people," Kathy Innicenti said as she retired as the St. Helens Senior Center Executive Director.

Innocenti said she isn't going far away.

"I am sad to step down as the director," she said. "It's just time but I will still be at our thrift store because that has been a long-time project we have built it up to a really good business."

St. Helens Senior Center Director Kathy Innocenti hands the building key to the incoming center director Justin Watson. Innocenti retires at the end of July after serving as director for the past three years.

Innocenti took over as the center's executive director three years ago following the retirement of the then-manager Cheryl Young.

As she leaves her post, Innocenti reflects on what she and the center have accomplished over the past three years.

“The best thing is that we aquired the walk-in freezer and cooler,” she said. “That’s been a long-term wish that we were finally able to accomplish. It made a big difference for the kitchen and how they can organize the food. When they had the individual commercial freezers that made it really difficult to organize, especially when they were not working very well.”

The center serves approximately 160 meals a day through its home delivery program with about 30 to 40 people served at the center each week.

“We still have light attendance (since the pandemic) but hopefully people will start coming back,” Innocenti said. The outreach is very important because sometimes that is the only meal people get every day. We are really determined. We cooked during the whole pandemic. We really had a lot of people in need at that time. That was a huge accomplishment. Getting through the pandemic. That was a lot of work trying to maintain the center with staff and volunteers."

Innocenti said she is also proud of the many activities the center had started and maintained during her time as director.

“Before the pandemic started we were able to offer a lot of activities, bring a lot of people in, and have some great fundraisers,” she said. “That involved the community as well.”

The activities included a partnership with a local church providing seniors with opportunities to take a variety of bus trips, including an excursion to see local Christmas lights.

“Those kinds of activities were really fun for the seniors,” she said. “Our best event was our 1940 fundraiser with big band music. It included dinner and dancing. We sold out on that. We just loved it.”

Innocenti said such activities, including the meal deliveries, are important opportunities for seniors to socialize.

"It is engaging the seniors with the community and also it gives them a daily contact Monday through Friday with someone who can check on them as well as bring them a meal," she said. "They have someone who can see that they are okay and if they are not, they can call the community action team to have that team go out and check on them. That’s really important.”

Justin Watson was scheduled to become the new St. Helens Senior Center Director Aug. 1.

"He has a lot of background with city government and he is very interested in inter-generational housing and he is very interested in helping seniors," she said.

Beyond his administrative background, "the other good thing is he can cook," she said of Watson. "He actually cooked for a week when our staff was out sick, so he was in the kitchen and that's a skill that I don't have. He cooked for a lot of people."

Innocenti’s recommendation for Watson is to be engaging with the seniors and to make sure the center attendance is increasing.

“Make sure the community knows about the center, make sure the seniors are doing okay and that they are having good time,” she advised. “Be very engaging.”

Innocenti said she plans to spend a few days a week volunteering at the center’s thrift shop, Top Notch on Columbia Boulevard in St. Helens. The shop is a primary financial supporter for the senior center.

“I also want to work in my yard, do a little traveling with my husband, and take some time with family,” she said.

A retirement party for Innocenti was scheduled for noon, July 29 at the St. Helens Senior Center.

The St. Helens Senior Center is located at 375 S 15th Street in St. Helens and can be reached at 503-397-3377.

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