HOLLY POND, Ala. – Cullman County Sheriff Matt Gentry and the Cullman County Sheriff’s Office (CCSO) provided lunch for senior citizens at the Brooklyn Community Center in Holly Pond Thursday, March 23. The event included displaced members of the Baileyton Senior Center, the future of which is still uncertain following the Town of Baileyton’s decision to ask the seniors to vacate the center last week.
Said Gentry, “We weren’t going to miss this for nothing.”
Also in attendance were Cullman County Probate Judge Tammy Brown, Cullman County Circuit Clerk Lisa McSwain, representatives from the Cullman County Commission on Aging and Cullman County Commissioners Kerry Watson and Kelly Duke.
With the future of Baileyton Senior Center still up in the air, and several fired-up seniors in attendance, Gentry didn’t shy away from the fact that Thursday’s lunch could be seen by some as controversial. He maintained, however, that his team hosted the lunch for the same reason it has for the last eight years.
“I know there’s a lot of controversy going on now out in this community with the seniors. For us, it really has nothing to do with that controversy. For us it has to do with the same thing we’ve done for the last eight years – come out, be with the seniors, find out what’s going on in their community – so we can help make this community better and safer for the citizens of Cullman County.”
Gentry said his team has been hosting community lunches and meetings just like Thursday’s since he took office.
“When we took office in 2015, we started having community meetings around the county. A lot of times they’re at senior centers,” he said. “The seniors are really the heartbeat of our community because we wouldn’t have the community we have today without our senior citizens, so this is a very important mission for us because it engrossed law enforcement and the citizens of Cullman County working together for the good of the community.”
The sheriff explained that when people are comfortable, they’re more willing to share their experiences and concerns, leading to better resolutions for the whole community.
Gentry thanked the leaders of Brooklyn Community Center and addressed the seniors in attendance, assuring them, “We just want y’all to know how much we appreciate you and love you, how much we enjoy getting together and fellowshipping. Thank you for allowing us to do it.”
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