EAAA opens Access Center at Central Hall Commons

DOVER-FOXCROFT — Eastern Area Agency on Aging services will now be more easily accessible in Piscataquis County. A Dover-Foxcroft Access Center has opened in partnership with the Central Hall Commons. 

A ceremonial Piscataquis Chamber of Commerce ribbon cutting marked the occasion at the East Main Street location on Monday morning.

EAAA is based in Brewer and serves Penobscot, Piscataquis, Washington and Hancock counties. The new Access Center will provide a welcoming local space for older adults and caregivers to connect with services and supports in their community. Offerings will include a Community Café, walk-in resource appointments, caregiver support groups and a variety of wellness activities. The site will  also serve as the local base for several of EAAA’s signature programs, including Meals on Wheels, the Furry Friends Food Bank and the Commodity Supplemental Food Program. 

It is the mission of the agency to provide older adults, caregivers and adults with disabilities in the four counties with information and access to resources they need to be healthy, engaged and supported in their communities. The organization has been supporting the four counties since 1973.

EAAA Communication and Development Director Christopher Hill said the agency is excited to be opening the Dover-Foxcroft Access Center, knowing about the need for the resources the agency provides. 

“It has been a real pursuit of ours as an agency to return to what we were doing through COVID, getting more of a presence in our community and being a resource,” Hill said.

Older community members in the counties are served by EAAA in a number of ways, Hill said. “We have things like nutrition assistance, we do things like Medicare counseling and carry over services, we have wellness and enrichment classes but essentially we want our older community members to stay healthy and happy and engaged in their homes for as long as possible.”

EAA Community Services Director Jami Aleksiev spoke on behalf of Executive Director Tabatha Caso, who was unable to attend the event. With Caso’s remarks in hand, Aleksiev said there have been on-going conversations about the need for more services in Piscataquis County and the need to be more visible in the region.

“Until now we never really had a place of our own in Dover, people didn’t see us, we were actually underground at a bunker in Milo,” Aleksiev said, as often resource providers worked at home.

“When people can’t see you that makes a huge difference,” she said

“While the building itself is beautiful, what matters most is what happens inside,” Aleksiev said. She mentioned not trying to replace existing resources but to collaborate to strengthen what is in place.

“Central Hall Commons is the perfect partner for that,” Aleksiev said. “It is already a place where people come together to learn, to move, to create and to share” with a spirit of inclusion and belonging.

“Access Centers bring support closer to where people live rather than expecting them to travel to us, that’s really the main goal for all of this,” she added. 

“We want people to come not just for services, but to share a meal, volunteer or connect with others to continue strengthening the bonds that make this town such a special place to live,” Aleksiev said.

The Access Center in Dover-Foxcroft joins those in Brewer and Calais with forthcoming locations planned for Ellsworth and Northern Penobscot County, each being a bit different to serve the local community needs.

EAAA Nutrition Director Chris Street said soon after starting 3-plus years ago he and Central Hall Commons Development Director Tara Smith talked about the agency expanding its presence in the region but back then the timing was not right. This would change with time as today the facility and EAAA have the exact same goal and vision.

“Now we have an opportunity to share what we offer, and it’s not about us it’s about community,” Street said with EAAA partnering with Central Hall Commons on the Access Center.

“We want to just be part of this community and help and enhance it with what we have to offer, which is to provide services for older adults here in Dover-Foxcroft and throughout Piscataquis County” he said. “It is very important we have an option here for people to come to in person to have those opportunities to give them the help they need, to offer some programs enhancing what is already here and existing and it truly will be a beautiful partnership that we have here together.”

A large walk-in freezer for Meals on Wheels will be arriving in the near future. Soon on Wednesdays from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. walk-in hours will start for family caregivers and the EAAA Resource Center. Wellness classes will be offered in-person with virtual options.

“We’re really excited and proud about what this is going to look like and take shape in the future,” Street said.

“It couldn’t be more aligned with what our mission has been all along, we want to serve the older adults in our community along with their families with programming and lunches and support,” Central Hall Commons Executive Director Tamara Cox said.

Piscataquis Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Denise Buzzelli mentioned she has been part of events held at the Central Hall Commons over the years, both for the Chamber and other organizations, and is thankful the facility is there. 

“It’s been a blessing and a staple to have in the community,” she said, being thrilled that now EAAA services will be available at the Central Hall Commons.