No. 91: Huntington's Senior Center

The Huntington’s Senior Center, at 423 Park Ave. in the Village Green complex, offers a host of activities from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. weekdays and is a welcoming haven for the town’s seniors – that’s any town resident over age 60.

From card games to chair exercises, special holiday entertainment shows and zumba exercise classes, knitting and art lessons, tap dancing and a bereavement support group, there is a full slate of activities at the center, located in the former school complex.

Bridge players can get their fix with regular classes. There’s also AARP tax assistance, a discussion club, a weekly quilting group as well as a charity workshop where knitters and crocheters make baby outfits, blankets and liners for soldier’s helmets, as well as items for newborns at Huntington Hospital and those in nursing homes. Some of the craft results are on sale at the center’s gift shop, which is open Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays from 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. -- consider stopping by to get a hand-knitted baby gift.

Hot meals are served at the Nutrition Center’s cafeteria weekdays from noon to 1:30 p.m., and sometimes are followed by an entertainment program. No reservations are needed, and there is a $2 suggested donation. Meals are available to any Suffolk County resident; eligibility for senior center activities is limited to town residents. Anywhere from 120-150 meals are served daily at the center, plus additional meals are cooked and sent to the satellite center and delivered through the home-delivered meal program, for seniors who can’t get out.

Hot meals also are offered at the Satellite Center at St. Hugh of Lincoln, 1450 New York Ave., Huntington Station, although meal reservations are required at that site as food is sent over from the cafeteria at the Village Green. The Satellite Center is open 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. weekdays, and offers some programs in addition to meals.

Other services available through the center include blood pressure screening each Tuesday, caregiver support groups, a monthly center visit from a podiatrist, help with paperwork and a telephone reassurance program for seniors who live alone and would like occasional calls.

The center also holds programs at Centerport Beach at the Beach House, which has a pavilion and outdoor picnic tables, and the Cottage, which is frequently home to art classes. Beach hours are limited during the off-season, mostly Sunday afternoons, and seniors are asked to call ahead to make sure its open if the weather is bad. The beach centers are open daily during the summer. This year, the Beach House summer season opening is June 12.

Also located in the sprawling Village Green complex are the Cinema Arts Centre movie theater, Calling All Kids Too child care center, the town’s secure respite care center for seniors with Alzheimer’s, and dance studios for the YMCA. There’s even an office for the Meals on Wheels program tucked in.

Visit the center and be prepared to have an enjoyable time. You may even get bitten with the urge to volunteer.

Stay tuned for No. 90 next week, same time same place, as Huntington Patch explores the places and activities in town.