By Theresa Knapp 

The Hopedale Council on Aging has requested and received a generous donation in the amount of $3,800 from the Hopedale Friends of Elders, Inc. to be used to supplement payment to Senior Center class instructors. 

In her memo to the Select Board on Sept. 21 asking the board to accept the donation, COA Director Carole Mullen said, “Absent town funding, without the receipt of additional monies, fluctuating and insufficient participant fees jeopardize the Senior Center’s ability to offer a variety of programs.” 

In her application to the Friends, she noted, “The COA has no town funding to pay for class instructors…The goal is to have participant fees cover at least 50% of the costs required to pay the instructors. We will continue to rely on donations and small grants to address the deficit. I am in the process of exploring grant opportunities for this purpose.”