LOVELAND, C.O. - Residents at Good Samaritan Society – Loveland Village depend on their country store for grocery necessities. The people who run it find purpose in retirement.
“You have to keep busy,” independent living resident Gary Burianek who ran the store for 10 years said. “You have to have something to do. You have to have a meaning. Some people don’t. They just sit in their apartment or whatever. I couldn’t do that and I still couldn’t do that.”
But after a decade, Burianek decided to hang up his apron and retire again. His wife has been having some health problems, so he took on a new fulltime job: caregiver. He’s handing the reins of the store to friend and fellow independent living resident Samuel Adams.
“I told Gary that one of the conditions I would take it was that they doubled the salary, and of course, we’re volunteers, so you know what that means,” Adams said.
“We do it because it’s an important thing to do to volunteer to help and support our neighbors. That’s what it’s about,” said Adams.