Stephen Petanowick, at the Gulfport Shell station, saw the car on fire and asked the community to help the lady who owned the car. Gulfport residents – and the head of the Gulfport Multipurpose Senior Center – were more than ready to help.
Stephen Petanowick
A long-time Gulfport resident in need got some unexpected help thanks to other concerned community members and the power of social media.
An unidentified elderly woman experienced major car trouble a couple of weeks ago when her car caught fire at the Shell station and convenience store on Gulfport Boulevard where she frequently stops for gas. An employee of the store posted on a local social media page.
“They described the lady and how nice she was, and that it would be a big problem for her not to have her car,” said Margarete Tober, who described the incident during the public comment portion of the May 3 regular meeting of the Gulfport City Council.
The post received numerous responses and comments from people offering to help. Tober contacted Rachel Cataldo, supervisor of the Gulfport Multipurpose Senior Center, asking her to look into it and find out who the lady was as well as what the center could do for her.
If there are people in the community in vulnerable positions, the Senior Center is there for them, too.”
Cataldo went to the convenience store, where the car still sat, and made some inquiries of the staff. They supplied her with a first and last name as well as a phone number. From there Cataldo phoned the woman and then stopped by her house to sign her up for the senior center’s GEMS (Gulfport Extended MiniBus Service) transportation program.
“It is a really simple process,” said Cataldo, who noted that the woman has been a Gulfport resident for 20 years.
Detailed information about the GEMS program is available on the city website, mygulfport.us.
Tober, when complimenting Cataldo’s actions during her statement to the council, said that Cataldo did all of this within 24 hours after getting her message about the situation. Cataldo was present at the meeting for a proclamation regarding Older Americans Month.
In addition to giving Cataldo a shout-out for her quick response, Tober wanted to raise a little bit of awareness about the services offered for seniors in Gulfport.
“I don’t think everybody knows that the Senior Center does that type of stuff,” said Tober. “If there are people in the community in vulnerable positions, the Senior Center is there for them, too.”
Like others who use the service, this newly enrolled senior has access to a large portion of southern Pinellas County for a $70 annual fee and $2 per trip. She could be without a car for a while.
“And this service will be around for a while,” said Cataldo, “so it’s all good.”
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