ALL NEW COMMUNITY CENTER OUT ON HIGHWAY 3240”
- Daniel Sevilla, Director of Operations
Silver Sage Hill Country Resource Center recently celebrated their 40th anniversary with many events, in conjunction with the Bandera County All Class Reunion.
The anniversary follows a thriving year for the charity. The community center alone was able to serve 1,023 people, according to their impact report.
In addition to the event celebrations, Silver Sage recently opened a thrift store, located at 660 Highway 16 South.
“It’s a way to generate income, so we can not only help those without certain coverage, but also for extra things like emergency repairs,” Director of Operations Daniel Sevilla said.
The thrift shop is the current location of another lesser-known service of Silver Sage: the foster closet.
The closet is a place where families whose foster or recently adopted children might need items like clothes, hygiene products, and other supplies, said Sevilla.
Silver Sage has plans for the future as well. They are also looking to build an all new community center, having outgrown their current location.
“Our goal is to build an all new community center out on Highway 3240,” says Sevilla. “We’ll have a food pantry, along with a 3 acre community garden where we will grow the food that we eventually serve at the new center.”
In addition to the community center and garden, the property will also include 60 affordable senior cottages, as well as buildings with access to medical care, and other facilities.
Silver Sage Hill Country Resource Center was founded in 1984, according to their website. In addition to the community center and thrift store, they currently assist with numerous services, including Meals on Wheels in Bandera County, feeding 64,995 people in 2023 alone.
With the Meals on Wheels service also comes other areas of help to homebound citizens. Silver Sage was able to give 1745 pounds of dog food and 465 pounds of cat food.
They donated 171 medical equipment items and 535 items for severe weather, including heaters, fans, scarves, blankets and socks, according to their 2023 impact report.
Silver Sage also puts on local activities and outings ranging from fitness, day trips, and in-house events for the seniors of Bandera, for 433 activities in 2023. This allows seniors to have the often overlooked need of social interaction.
“This quality of life is seldom measured, the seniors want something tangible,” Sevilla noted.
In addition, Silver Sage aids veterans as well as assists seniors with healthcare benefits and subsidies, providing $1.3 million in annual healthcare assistance in 2023, according to the impact report.
Silver Sage Hill Country Resource Center has only helped as many as they have because of volunteers, for a total of 13,619 in 2023.
To volunteer with Silver Sage, please contact Autumn Perry Sevilla at [email protected].
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