Janice Lawson
After retiring from Sparks Hospital where she was a receptionist, Janice Lawson of Liberty community decided to find something fulfilling to do with her life.
After retiring from Sparks Hospital where she was a receptionist, Janice Lawson of Liberty community decided to find something fulfilling to do with her life.
Lawson, 63, began volunteering at The Shed in Sallisaw, which provides food, ministry and a place for young and old to go and participate in activities.
Lawson serves as a cook for The Shed, under the AARP Senior Work program, a job she has been doing for the past two years.
The program provides a stipend for seniors age 55 and up who want to work for non-profit organizations.
“I love doing this,” Lawson said.
“I’ve been working here for the past two years, four days a week. My job is cooking for all the people who come to The Shed. Some may be in need of breakfast or lunch, and we serve those Monday through Friday. We also have a soup and souls meeting every Friday in which participants can listen to about a 15-minute devotional provided by the director and have food to accompany the message, she said.
“Today, I’m making cabbage and sausage and cornbread with white cake and cream cheese frosting and strawberries for dessert. Tomorrow, we’ll have fried rice and chocolate cake,” she said.
In addition to cooking for The Shed, Lawson helps out with making grocery bags for the people who may need groceries.
“We always have some extras to give away, such as soda, popcorn, cereal and other items that come available,” she said.
She said there are about 40 people who come out to The Shed on Fridays. During the week, there may be about half.
Lawson said she is a native of Sequoyah County. Her husband, George, retired from his job as Muldrow Police Chief several months ago and works part-time as a code enforcement officer. The couple enjoys spending time with their grandchildren, and don’t miss very many opportunities to watch their ballgames or other activities they may be involved in. The couple has two daughters and five grandchildren.
“I enjoy working for The Shed. We cry together, pray together and we eat together. We just enjoy our times together,” she said.
“We invite anyone to come and help in any area they feel comfortable in,” she said. “There is sweeping, mopping and other chores we all share.
“The children come out here and ride their bikes and play pool and other activities. We stay just as long as they do on weekends,” she said.
“There’s many jobs to do here. I just enjoyed cooking so much, and I wanted to prepare meals for the people here. So it’s what I do.”
Just Folks is Your TIMES way of honoring the regular people of Sequoyah County, recognizing their unique talents, personalities, jobs, abilities, etc. Your TIMES appreciates the cooperation of each Just Folks and the public’s nominations for this feature. If you know of someone you think might be a good story, contact Amie Remer or Lynn McCulley at 918-775-4433.
