Residences at Vantage Point Collects 100,000 Bags for CAC Food Bank

The “Bag Ladies and Gentlemen” at the Residences at Vantage Point retirement community in Downtown Columbia have collected their 100,000th paper bag. Civic leaders, family and friends joined a reception today to celebrate the over 80 women and men who have been gathering reusable bags to donate to the Community Action Council (CAC) Food Distribution Center since 2020. Approximately 6.25 tons of paper and over $11,000 has been saved “one bag at a time.”

Spearheaded by the late Sue Buswell, a Vantage Point resident and long-time community leader and activist who hated “waste,” a volunteer corps started collecting paper bags from other residents during the COVID pandemic of 2020-2021, when the community’s meals were being delivered to each apartment in sturdy brown paper grocery bags.

Residents Maryann Buchmeier, Jean Larson, Sheri McKone, Joan Parvis, Diane Caplan, Lois Loen, Kay and Paul Wisniewski, Pat Bruce, John Hayes, Les Gesell, Jim Bell, Ed Kuespert and Larry Fenton, among the many “Bag Ladies and Gentlemen,” as they like to call themselves, sorted and packed the paper grocery bags for delivery every Thursday.

The collection’s success has been due to the contributions of fellow residents and the generous donation of bags by Trader Joe’s in Columbia. During the pandemic, CAC distributed bagged groceries at pop-up pantries around the county in addition to prefilled bags at its center in Columbia, where it continues to distribute food in bags collected by Vantage Point volunteers.

Residences at Vantage Point is home to over 250 residents. It was founded in 1990 and is a nonprofit serving people age 60 and above. Managed by Life Care Services, the community includes a variety of residential living arrangements from studio to two-bedroom deluxe apartments. It provides long-term health services available exclusively for residents should they need them.

Residences at Vantage Point is noted for its resident engagement with the larger community of Columbia. It is located at 5400 Vantage Point Road. For information, visit www.vantagepointresidences.org.