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‘Seniors for Seniors’ program in New Orleans is catnip for the soul

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SWB RailRiders drop a pair to the Gwinnett Braves

<p>WILKES-BARRE &#8212; Read the comics often enough and you&#8217;ll find cartoon soldier Beetle Bailey in a kitchen &#8212; peeling potatoes and feeling miserable.</p><p>But on a recent Friday morning, half a dozen real-life friends explained they were actually enjoying themselves as they separated the skins from a pile of spuds at the St. Vincent de Paul Kitchen on East Jackson Street.</p><p>&#8220;This looks like a teddy bear,&#8221; Irene Martin, of Wilkes-Barre, said as she held a large potato up for inspection.</p><p>&#8220;No, a mushroom,&#8221; one of her friends suggested.</p><p>While the teddy &#8216;tater prompted extra chuckles, the little group of volunteers seemed to constantly be in good spirits, even when unusual specimens didn&#8217;t crop up.</p><p>Claire Vassia, of Edwardsville, Theresa Roebuck, of Wilkes-Barre, Joan Kwarcinski, of Mountain Top, Diane Krokos, of Dallas, and Barb Ambrose, of Wilkes-Barre Township, said they just like spending time together &#8212; especially when they&#8217;re working for a good cause.</p><p>That&#8217;s why the five of them, all Friends of the Osterhout Free Library, followed Martin, who is president of the library group, to a session of volunteer food prep at the kitchen, which feeds the needy seven days a week.</p><p>&#8220;We filled their book case for them too,&#8221; Martin said, pointing to several shelves filled with books for the taking.</p><p>&#8220;We all have such a fondness for books,&#8221; Krokos added.</p><p>They also like to pitch in and, now that they&#8217;re all retired, they have more time for volunteer work.</p><p>Among their activities, Kwarcinski uses her nursing skills at the Volunteers in Medicine Clinic on North Pennsylvania Boulevard; Ambrose has been stuffing back-to-school backpacks for Catholic Social Services; and Roebuck will soon be cutting up ingredients for the monthly soup sales that are set to resume in late August at Exaltation of the Holy Cross Church in Hanover Township.</p><p>&#8220;I&#8217;m a chopper,&#8221; Roebuck said.</p><p>As a retired middle school librarian, Vassia shares book sorting tips with the Friends of the Osterhout Free Library, which comes in handy as the group spends months getting ready for the book sale it sponsors each June.</p><p>&#8220;If I can help in any way, I&#8217;m happy,&#8221; she said.</p><p>Martin feels the same way. When she retired about four years ago from her position as an administrative assistant at the Bohlin Cywinski Jackson architectural firm, she carved out more time for volunteer commitments.</p><p>In addition to her work with the soup kitchen and the Friends of the Osterhout Free Library, her schedule includes regularly volunteering as a receptionist for Red Cross Blood Drives, singing in the choir at Ss Peter and Paul Church, working at the church food pantry, knitting shawls in its prayer shawl ministry and serving as president of its women&#8217;s society, which recently involved planning an ice cream social &#8212; &#8220;with all the toppings you could want&#8221; &#8212; as well as a bus trip to see the musical &#8220;Jonah&#8221; in Lancaster County.</p><p>If you&#8217;re looking for a devoted helper-outer, Krokos said with a nod toward Martin, &#8220;You asked the right person. She&#8217;s the ultimate volunteer.&#8221;</p><p>&#8220;She should talk,&#8221; Martin countered. &#8220;She&#8217;s the one who got me into Girl Scouts.&#8221;</p><p>&#8220;But I don&#8217;t have a list a mile long like she does,&#8221; Krokos said.</p><p>Whether their lists are long or short, the volunteers said donating their time is win-win.</p><p>&#8220;There is such a need,&#8221; Kwarcinski said. &#8220;And you meet such wonderful people.&#8221;</p><p><ins>For other Life Section stories, <a href="https://www.timesleader.com/category/features" target="_blank">click here</a>.</ins></p><style>
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<div class="neCaption">From left: Irene Martin, Joan Kwarcinski, Claire Vassia and Barbara Ambrose cut potatoes in preparation for a meal at the St. Vincent de Paul Kitchen in Wilkes-Barre. The women met through the Friends of the Osterhout Free Library club and enjoy other volunteer pursuits as well. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/web1_TTL081717seniorsvolunteering1.jpg</photo0><caption0>From left: Irene Martin, Joan Kwarcinski, Claire Vassia and Barbara Ambrose cut potatoes in preparation for a meal at the St. Vincent de Paul Kitchen in Wilkes-Barre. The women met through the Friends of the Osterhout Free Library club and enjoy other volunteer pursuits as well. </caption0><photoCredit0>Sean McKeag | Times Leader </photoCredit0></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/web1_TTL081717seniorsvolunteering2.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Theresa Roebuck, of Wilkes-Barre, pitches in with the potatoes. Later, her group will make sandwiches and serve guests at the St. Vincent de Paul Kitchen. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo1>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/web1_TTL081717seniorsvolunteering2.jpg</photo1><caption1>Theresa Roebuck, of Wilkes-Barre, pitches in with the potatoes. Later, her group will make sandwiches and serve guests at the St. Vincent de Paul Kitchen. </caption1><photoCredit1>Sean McKeag | Times Leader </photoCredit1></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/web1_TTL081717seniorsvolunteering3.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Irene Martin, left, talks with other members of the Friends of the Osterhout Free Library club as they join her at one of her other favorite places to volunteer. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo2>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/web1_TTL081717seniorsvolunteering3.jpg</photo2><caption2>Irene Martin, left, talks with other members of the Friends of the Osterhout Free Library club as they join her at one of her other favorite places to volunteer. </caption2><photoCredit2>Sean McKeag | Times Leader </photoCredit2></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/web1_TTL081717seniorsvolunteering5.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Claire Vassia and Diane Krokos grab more potatoes from a bag to peel and cut. The St. Vincent de Paul Kitchen is one of many local organizations that welcomes volunteers. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo3>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/web1_TTL081717seniorsvolunteering5.jpg</photo3><caption3>Claire Vassia and Diane Krokos grab more potatoes from a bag to peel and cut. The St. Vincent de Paul Kitchen is one of many local organizations that welcomes volunteers. </caption3><photoCredit3>Sean McKeag | Times Leader </photoCredit3></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/web1_potato-014.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Irene Martin, of Wilkes-Barre, finds a potato that reminds her of a teddy bear. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo4>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/web1_potato-014.jpg</photo4><caption4>Irene Martin, of Wilkes-Barre, finds a potato that reminds her of a teddy bear. </caption4><photoCredit4>Mary Therese Biebel | Times Leader </photoCredit4></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><subheadMeta>Retirees use free time to volunteer</subheadMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p><strong>By Mary Therese Biebel</strong></p><p>mbiebel@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach Mary Therese Biebel at 570-991-6109 or on Twitter @BiebelMT.</p></shirttailMeta></div>

Wilkes-Barre retirees use their free time to volunteer at library, kitchen