Testimonials from our Clients

These testimonials below are just a few of the many we receive during the course of the year.

SAC helps veteran

Veteran in despair gives testimonialJoe heard about the Senior Assistance Center from a friend. He knew he needed help, but didn’t know where to turn. Joe had been in the Army during WWII. He and his wife worked hard all their lives and thought they could make it on Social Security and a small pension in retirement. The cost of living and Joe’s medical conditions altered their retirement plans. Now Joe has huge medical bills. Joe had never asked for help before. He was a proud and hardworking man. He survived WWII and was thankful to provide for his family. Now he came to SAC in despair.

Senior Assistance Center was able to help Joe and his wife by paying their past due Xcel Energy bill and provided assistance applying for LEAP to help with heating costs during the bitter winter months. We offered emergency supplies and gave them information about our partner food bank. We told them about CSFP – a monthly box of commodities. Joe really needed help with his medical condition. We were able to find a walker and shower chair. Joe and his wife went home knowing they had options for help and were not alone.


desperate man needing help

SAC Helps Desperate Man

Recently a man came to the Senior Assistance Center and he said he was desperate. He was not only seeking help to pay his utility bill before his power was turned off he was seeking someone who he could confide in. The Senior Assistance Center staff listened as he shared…

“I am currently unemployed, I was laid off from my job a while back. I never expected at my age to have to fill out job applications on-line. My computer skills are not that great and I would really like to talk to the hiring manager in person. I want to cry when I think of what my daughter must think of me now – a dad with no job, no money and no hope for the future. I don’t know exactly what to do to get back on my feet.”

Our staff not only listens but offers services to help this gentleman and hundreds just like him.  Whether it is providing emergency supplies, financial help with utilities or suggestions of where to look for resources the Senior Assistance Center is willing to help.

SAC helped this gentleman with his utility bill, helped him with a referral for work, made sure he had emergency supplies and gave him hope. SAC works to help in many ways.


Melvin’s story

Senior hopelessness in testimonial

I am 78 years old and have been out of work. I injured my back. My job consisted of heavy lifting and I was unable to return to work. My savings was my only source of income. I continue to look for jobs but I have been unable to find anything. I’ve exhausted my savings and my Social Security covers the bare minimum. I’m a very proud man- have never asked for help. I want my family to be proud of me and I felt like I was letting them down.

My friend told me about the Senior Assistance Center. They have been so helpful. They made it so easy. They told me that people like me was the whole reason they were in business. My Xcel bill balance has been growing even though I have been paying a little every month. Senior Assistance Center paid my bill! I still can’t believe it!

They gave me emergency supplies to take home with me and told me about their partner food bank. Thank you to everyone who keeps the doors open for folks like me.


 

George’s Story

George's testimonialI’ve lived in Denver all of my life and really love the city. I worked hard and sent my children to college. I wanted them to have a better opportunity that me. I had been on my job for over 20 years and felt it was secure. One day (it was pay day actually) I got my pink slip along with my final pay check. I looked around me and all of us had the same look of disbelief. When I got home, I didn’t know what to tell my wife.

She had been diagnosed with breast cancer a month before. That’s when we took out a second mortgage on our home to be prepared for the chemotherapy and doctor’s visits that were coming our way. She was lovely as usual saying how we always made out okay and we were going to be okay now. The following year was the most difficult ever. My wife was so sick from the cancer treatments and we were running out of money. I had applied at every steel company in the area. I always got the same reply “Not Hiring”. The money from our second mortgage was almost used up. Too young for Social Security and too old to land a job!

I went to the Pastor at our church. He knew of someone that had a small rental home. We decided to let our home go. We couldn’t afford the payments on the second mortgage any longer. Our church family helped us move. We were exhausted! We were also heart broken. What were we going to do?

One of the ladies from our church came to visit my wife and told her about the Senior Assistance Center. I was just too proud to start asking for help now. My pride was about all I had left. I finally got a 20 hour per week job as a janitor. I wasn’t making a lot of money, but it sure felt good to be working again. A few weeks after I started, an employment service called me and asked me to interview with a large steel company in town. Tears of hope and pure joy ran down my cheeks. I interviewed the following day and they hired me!!

There was only one problem. Our rent and utilities were due and I wasn’t getting paid for a month. The landlord said he couldn’t hold out.  I called Senior Assistance Center and they set up an appointment and paid our past due Xcel bill.

I just got back from Senior Assistance Center.  I put a check in the slot of their door along with a thank you note.  I will continue to donate because they gave me back my life. How can you put a price tag on that?


 

Testimonial about the service of Senior Assistance CenterIn a time of need, the Senior Assistance Center was there!

“In March 2015, I was diagnosed with chronic arthritis in my lower back including my ankle. Due to my health conditions, I was placed under long-term care. I had a heart attack soon after returning home. After recovery, I was placed on in-home oxygen along with a medical alert system. I could not afford to pay all of my expenses. I fell two months behind on my utility bill then I received a notice of disconnection. With the financial support of the Senior Assistance Center it allowed me to continue my service without interruption! Thank you for your generosity, during my time of need.”  Mary E.


 

          Humbling and Embarrassing

Testimonial from couple in hard circumstancesMy dear husband was laid off of his job. We received unemployment benefits for a time, but they have stopped. We are still too young to collect Social Security. We really didn’t think we would ever be in this position. We both feel so desperate now. Life is kind of like walking a tightrope and we just hope that nothing happens to make us fall.

I don’t think my husband is ever going to find a job. Not because he’s a bad worker, but because he is bent and stooped due to the hard work he has done all of his life. He looks for jobs endlessly to support us. I think people see his aging body and they don’t want to take a chance on him.

A friend told me that maybe you could help us pay our utility bill. I have an appointment for next week! It is very humbling and embarrassing to be in this position. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.


 

   It wasn’t suppose to be like this!

Testimonial from a worried womanI was just informed that all of the chemotherapy and radiation treatments were not effective and that I still have cancer about a year ago. I am 76 years old and spent my life savings to try to save my life when I was diagnosed. One round of chemotherapy cost me over $5,000 a bag (this was how much I had to pay over and above what Medicare paid), and I required 5 bags! I went into a short remission, but the cancer has returned. Chemotherapy made me so weak and frail. I fell frequently and wound up breaking my hip. I have been in and out of the hospital this past year so many times I have lost count. My kids are scattered all across the United States, except for my youngest son who is serving our country in Afghanistan.

It wasn’t supposed to be like this.  I can only count on my neighbors and friends to help me. I continue to have huge medical deductibles that take my food and my Xcel money. I am so torn.

I called Xcel Energy for some help. They referred me to Senior Assistance Center. I called and got an appointment right away. They paid my bill! They asked me if I would like emergency supplies to take home with me. When I calculated the approximate cost of the items I received, I was shocked that it was at least $20 worth if not more.


 

Senior Woman gives us her testimonialIt’s so good to know someone cares

I am a retired senior citizen living alone. I’ve always worked hard to manage my bills. It seems like life’s emergencies are harder than when I was younger and had a job. Car repairs and large deductibles for medical care have really sent me into a tail spin. It can really be overwhelming to have to choose between food and prescriptions.

I had to have a major tune-up on my car. The mechanic let me pay a little every month and I was so grateful to him. Shortly after, my side kept hurting. I knew if I went to the emergency room I wouldn’t be able to keep my word to the mechanic, so I suffered through the pain for a few weeks. My landlord found me passed out on the floor called 911 for help and I was transported to the hospital for a ruptured appendix! They did surgery right away, but I had an extended stay at the hospital. All the while I could only think of the mechanic, and how in the world I was going to pay these bills! I don’t think I have ever felt more vulnerable in my life.

I was so grateful when a friend of mine told me about Senior Assistance Center. I made an appointment and they paid my utility bill. I was blown away! Perfect strangers helping me! They asked me about my prescriptions and gave me the phone number to the pharmaceutical companies. When I called and sent them a copy of my prescriptions, they gave me three months of my prescriptions free!

They gave me emergency supplies and let me know about their partner food bank. They also told me about other organizations that could help me. In the kindest way possible they told me that this was no time for me to be too proud to ask for help.

Senior Assistance Center, please continue to provide the services seniors need. The staff is exceptional. I think their kindness is really what is so important to seniors like me. I want to thank you again for being there when times are rough. It’s good to know someone cares.


 

couple receives much needed help

Senior Couple needing help readily gives testimonialMy husband is no longer able to work since he was diagnosed with chronic myeloid leukemia. He has applied for SSDI and also SSI but everything is pending. He only receives $189 per month and has no other income. His mother passed away a few months ago and we had to pay for her funeral. I have been so upset about my husband that I entered my Social Security check into the register of my check book twice! I have had over $300 in returned check fees (Including one for Xcel Energy)!  We have never had to ask for help but now I feel like we have no choice. I applied for food stamps but we earn $23 a month too much for help. My neighbor told me about Senior Assistance Center and I’m so glad she did.

Thank you for paying our past due utility bill. That was a real help and so appreciated! I went to your partner food bank on Thursday The gentleman at the sign-in desk asked me if I was a veteran. I told him no but my husband is. He said he was going to have someone call us to help my husband and I so we can keep our home. We have someone coming to help around the house and to help my husband with his personal care. All of this and it’s a benefit due to veterans just for the asking! Seriously I had no idea that so much help was available to us. Senior Assistance Center just called, they have a wheelchair for my husband to use. Thank you so much for helping us.  Josie

Marla’s story

It seems thSenior woman so very worried gives us her testimonialat I just couldn’t catch up. I needed dentures and set up a payment plan of $200 a month with my dentist. In May, my rent increased by 25%. In June my brakes needed to be replaced on my car. I “borrowed” money from my Xcel bill to help cover my prescriptions and got a shut off notice. I was so worried and couldn’t afford food.

At my doctor’s office I overheard some ladies talking about Senior Assistance Center. I asked them where you were located. When I got home, I called.

You paid my Xcel bill!  You offered me emergency supplies. I see light at the end of the tunnel thanks to Senior Assistance Center. Thank you for having my back!


SAC helps desperate woman

Desperate woman's testimonialDue to my fixed income and higher demands for payments on Xcel bills, we needed help. As we age we are limited and barely making ends meet. However with programs such as this it helps us sleep better at night. We try and try  to survive as prices explode on us elders. Once again thank you. My friend is the one who heard about this program through church and suggested that I come to you. I worried but I needed to get some help before winter comes. Thank God for prayers way before now and thank you as well. My husband had a stroke and also has cancer and this help will really lessen the stress he already bears. Thank you.


Never in my wildest dreams…

Desperate man on Park BenchNever in my wildest dreams did I think I would be the homeless man on the park bench! Yet here I am. I am so scared that I only sleep during the day. I walk at night. I feel so vulnerable! Sometimes I am lucky enough to get into a shelter. Mothers shush their children when they see me, and often cross the street. I love kids. I spent my entire working life teaching 6th grade in one of Denver’s elementary schools. I made some investments that crashed along with the economy. I’ve lost my family, my home, my self-respect. I get my social security check, but it’s not enough to pay a deposit on an apartment. Sometimes I will get a motel room for the night so that I can shower and do my laundry.

Please don’t get me wrong. I’m not an alcoholic or a drug addict. I saved enough for a security deposit a few months ago, and the apartment owner said he would hold the apartment for me. Then I got mugged! I don’t know how to handle myself on the street. I’m so afraid I will never see my grandchildren again. My son told me he didn’t want me around his kids until I was able to get my life together. I hear of different agencies that help with rent, but they always want to help families first. I understand that, but where does a good, old man get help? I’m afraid that if I don’t get some kind of help soon that the winter will come and I don’t think I can survive another brutal winter.

I ran into Joe, a Denver police officer. Joe buys me a cup of coffee every time I see him. He asked me if I had ever heard of the Senior Assistance Center in north Denver. I called them on Joe’s cell phone. Joe gave me a pat on the back, and reassured me that Senior Assistance Center was the real deal. Well, Senior Assistance Center is the real deal! They really helped me.