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The Suffolk Sheriff’s Office will hold its second Senior Expo next month, celebrating the City’s senior residents while providing resources and promoting independence.

The 2024 Senior Expo will be held at 10 a.m. on Saturday, Sept. 14, at Westminster Reformed Presbyterian Church, located at 3488 Godwin Blvd. Sponsored by TowneBank, the free event is for Suffolk senior citizens 55 and older. It will feature door prizes, lunch, community resources, a drive-thru food distribution, and more. 

Ahead of the event, Suffolk Sheriff David Miles had a chance to talk about the upcoming expo and what attendees can expect. Miles emphasized the importance of “consistency” with the event.

“Last year, it was our first one, and it went very well. All the feedback we got, not only from the attendees, but also from the vendors and also the host church…all the feedback was great,” Miles said. “And we try to take the lessons learned, because it was our first one, and try to apply it to the second event and forward.”

Miles continued on the “why” of maintaining consistency, reflecting on a senior reaching out for assistance.

“During COVID, we got a call from a senior here in the city that was having difficulty getting food and she shared that it wasn’t just her, but others were in the same position,” Miles said. “And that is kind of ‘the why’ what sparked us looking into trying to put something together so that our seniors know what resources, not just food, but other resources are available to them here in the city.”

One change Miles noted is that there will be 45+ vendors, an increase from last year’s expo. 

“All the vendors have services that are specific to seniors here in the City of Suffolk,” he said. “And after they have a chance – about an hour and a half – to visit with the vendors, then we’re going to have a short program, which is, we’re going to have a speaker. And I am going to leave the speaker as a surprise…” 

Miles says that vendors will include Sentara Obici Hospital, which will be conducting onsite screenings, as well as Senior Services of Virginia, AARP as well as the Department of Treasury, among others.

“We’re excited about the return of the Department of Treasury because last year, what they have is an unclaimed property and you put your name and information in, and then they search their database and if someone is owed some money, then of course they can expect to get that check,” Miles said. “…I know there was at least an excess of $5,000 that was recovered last year, just because the senior came to the expo, put their name in and then they got some money that they didn’t expect.”

Free tickets will be distributed via drive-thru from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Wednesday, August 14, at the church. They will be distributed on a first-come, first-served basis. Only one ticket per person is allowed, and expo attendees must be the ones to receive their tickets.

For more information, call 757-514-7840 or go to facebook.com/SuffolkVASheriff.