Two beloved community nonprofits, The Cooperage Project (TCP) and Tusten Social (TS), have announced that they are teaming up to strengthen and expand social offerings for local seniors.
United by a shared commitment to serving the region’s least resourced populations—especially seniors and youth—this partnership is already delivering thoughtful, consistent and free programming across the area, say the organizations.
Each organization brings deep community roots and a history of innovation to the collaboration. The Cooperage Project, based in Honesdale, PA, is known for its focus on food access, arts, education and social connection. Tusten Social, based in Narrowsburg, NY, is a volunteer-led organization creating vibrant opportunities for civic connection through inclusive programming.
Recognizing the need for more consistent senior engagement, the two organizations have begun coordinating their senior offerings—ensuring that older adults (60+) in the region now have a weekly opportunity for connection, enrichment and fun.
Tusten Social’s popular Sage Sessions, held on the first and third Thursdays of the month (1:30-3:30pm at the Delaware Valley Arts Alliance in Narrowsburg, NY), are now complemented by The Cooperage’s Senior Gatherings on the second and fourth Thursdays, 1:30-3:30pm at The Cooperage in Honesdale, PA. Both programs are free and require no RSVP.
Sage Sessions and Senior Gatherings offer a wide range of light uplifting local interest programming—from storytelling to live music, wellness workshops and visits from The Cooperage’s Northern Poconos Mobile Farm Market. This thoughtful scheduling means that seniors can count on something every Thursday, without duplication, and without overwhelming anyone’s budget or bandwidth, according to the organizations. Sage Sessions include lunch and Senior Gatherings offer light fair and both include coffee and refreshments.
“By simply coordinating our calendars and programming, we’re able to dramatically increase access and impact for the communities we serve,” said Amanda Masters from The Cooperage Project. “This model grew out of what we learned during COVID, when we pivoted from home-delivered meals to small in-person gatherings. Now, with this new collaboration, we’re scaling those efforts to meet growing demand.”
All programs remain completely free of charge thanks to the generous support of donors, volunteers and community partners, including Growing Older Together. The Cooperage’s initiatives are also sustained by grants from the William E Chatlos Foundation and AllOne Charities. And efforts are underway to make participation even easier and more inclusive through shared communications, cross-promotion and programs that build upon one another rather than repeat.
The partnership has also proven a perfect match for The Cooperage Project’s Northern Poconos Mobile Farm Market, which is now a regular feature of both organizations’ senior events—bringing fresh, affordable, locally grown food directly to where people gather.
“Ultimately, this is a pilot for a bigger idea,” added Greta Knutzen of Tusten Social. “We believe this kind of coordination can serve as a regional anchor for even more wraparound services—whether that’s visits from health workers, Office for the Aging resources or skill-building sessions on everything from estate planning to digital literacy.”
Looking ahead, The Cooperage Project and Tusten Social hope to apply the same cooperative model to youth programming, building out regular, teen-centered offerings in tandem with one another to ensure young people have consistent, safe and joyful spaces to grow.
If you have any ideas for programming, would like to be added to the mailing list, or to get involved, email hello@tustensocial.org or ally@thecooperageproject.org.
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