LANETT — Travis Hargett and Ron Morgan are our Valley Times-News good neighbors of the week. Many Lanett seniors consider them the best neighbors anyone could have. They are the city’s senior center drivers.

Every Monday through Friday, Morgan transports Lanett seniors to the city’s senior center at the L.B. Sykes Community Center. Around 30 seniors are at the senior center during the noon hour five days a week to participate in the congregate program.

“Many of them couldn’t get here without Ron picking them up in the bus,” says Senior Center Director Tammy Hollis. “When he gets them here, he’s back on the road delivering meals to those who are homebound. We can deliver 30 hot meals this way.”

Hargett drives the city’s transit bus. This is an important service that gets Lanett seniors to local medical appointments and to the grocery store. Many seniors would have no way of doing this without Hargett driving them there.

“I love what I do,” Hargett said. “I love to talk to the seniors when I take them places. You get attached to them. They become your friends. I’ve known some of them all my life. The sad part is when their health declines to the point where they can’t get in the bus.”

Hargett is from the West Shawmut community and helped start an organization known as the Children of West Shawmut.

“It’s a way of us giving back to the community,” he said. “It means a lot to me to be a part of this organization.”

Morgan is originally from the Washington, D.C. area, where his dad served in the U.S. Air Force. He likes being in Lanett and helping with the senior program. In taking meals to the homebound, he’s often the only person some of the people on his route see on a given day.

“They are always glad to see you and it can’t help but put a smile on your face to see them,” he said.

“We need to have those buses running five days every week,” Hollis said. “We want to keep them rolling. It’s especially important to deliver meals to the homebound. We could deliver more meals if we had another bus.”

Hollis said that seniors in the congregate program are like members of her family.

“You get really close to them,” she said. “We love to see them when they are here, and everyone has a good time. We have at least 25 people who get here early. It gets close to 35 when we eat at noon.”

Those who arrive early can exercise in the nearby James A. Hardy Gym, watch TV and socialize with other seniors.

“Ron and Travis are really important to us,” Hollis said. “In getting the seniors to and from the center and delivering meals to the homebound, as Ron does, and taking them to medical appointments, as Travis does, they are making a big difference in their lives.”

Anyone who is at least 60 years of age and lives inside the Lanett city limits can participate in the Lanett senior program. For more information, contact Tammy Hollis at (334) 644-6408.

Want to nominate a neighbor? Email news@valleytimes-news.com.