Blaine seniors invited to August 27 Picnic with a Purpose

The Whatcom Council on Aging and Blaine Senior Center will host a drive-through cookout at the senior center on Thursday, August 27.

The event, Picnic with a Purpose, will replace the council’s annual Senior Day in the Park picnic that they’ve hosted for over 20 years at Hovander Homestead Park in Ferndale. Participants will receive a drive-through meal and a swag bag with resources to Whatcom County businesses and programs. The food provided includes hot dogs, burgers and vegan burgers, fresh fruit medley, potato salad and cookie. A suggested donation of $5 will benefit the local senior center and the event will run 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Picnic with a Purpose will also host four other cookouts in the county from Monday, August 24 to Friday, August 28. Other locations include Sumas, Lynden, Ferndale and Bellingham.

“Our management team was disappointed that we would have to cancel Senior Day in the Park because we know our seniors are frustrated and struggling with loneliness,” said Julie Meyers, director of Meals on Wheels and More. “We wanted to do something similar that we could adapt for Covid-19 to provide some fun.”

The Whatcom Council on Aging will host virtual events, including cooking and meditation classes, the following week, Meyers said. For more information on the events, visit whatcomcoa.org.