GALT, CA (MPG) - The volunteers behind the Galt Senior Resource Center are looking to attract more volunteers to help with operations and to raise awareness of the information and help available for local older adults.

Tucked away in a corner of the Chabolla Community Center, the resource center consists of an office stocked with informational material on a range of issues affecting older adults, such as health concerns, transportation and housing, in both English and Spanish. The resources come from varying places, including the city, the county and individual organizations.

Galt Commission on Aging member Joan Werblun described the center as a “clearinghouse” for information.

“We’re not the ones that get them the house, but we may have the information of where to go to find out,” Werblun said in a recent interview.

The Commission on Aging, which acts as a forum for issues affecting older adults, has a close relationship with the resource center, and both operate as part of the city of Galt.

Fellow Commission on Aging member Libby Robbins said the center also holds seminars on topics like CPR, trip-and-fall hazards and Medicare.

In addition, the center hosts a game day on Thursdays to give attendees a chance to socialize over games of checkers, backgammon, bridge and many other options.

Werblun wanted more older adults, and people in their lives, to know about the center.

“This is the biggest gem of Galt, and it’s hidden,” Werblun said. “This is a hidden gem, really. There’s so much information here and people to help you wade through it.”

In addition to spreading the word about its services, the resource center is looking for more volunteers to staff it and help visitors find the assistance they need.

The commissioners said the center currently has about a dozen volunteers but could always use more.

Oz McCall, who volunteers with the resource center in addition to serving on the commission, spoke about why he joined the center.

“I’ve been retired for a few years, and it was like, I really need to get out and socialize with some other people, and I’d like to do something where I can help people,” McCall said.

He said that when someone visits the center, his goal is “to find out what their need is and any way we can help them.”

Asked why locals should volunteer with the resource center, Werblun said that volunteers can use their own experiences to suggest courses of action for visitors.

“I think volunteers underestimate their own value,” Werblun said. “You come to this with all the resources that you’ve learned about, and you draw on those when someone asks you a question.”

Robbins said volunteering is a fun experience with a “lively bunch of people.”

“When you do help somebody, you always feel so good about it,” Robbins said.

The Galt Senior Resource Center is located in Chabolla Community Center at 600 Chabolla Ave. It is open from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Mondays and from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Tuesdays to Thursdays. For more information, call 209-294-3308.