Hundreds of people waited in line Wednesday to participate in the senior expo at the Franklin Township Fire Company.

State Rep. Doyle Heffley and state Sen. David Argall sponsored the expo, which provided lunch and bags for attendees to fill with swag from the vendors before entering.

Over 50 booths were filled with information about resources for seniors, including Medicare, Area Agency on Aging, state troopers and the Carbon County Election Office.

Ernie and Linda Daubenspack of Andreas return to the expo each year. “We get to see people we haven’t seen and get great information,” Linda said.

Susan Ziegler from the Area Agency on Aging explained the many things the agency does including helping people stay in their homes as long as possible, helping with personal care and offering an emergency response system.

The office also provides protective services for seniors.

The agency offer Senior Games in May, with activities including basketball toss, cornhole, horseshoes and bocce.

State Trooper Jasmine Berrocal was providing safety tips for those home alone and providing a tip line for suspicious activity, 1-888-292-1919.

Berrocal said, “Seniors are often home, observing a lot of things, and this does not tie up emergency lines.”

LAMP, Library of Accessible Media for Pennsylvania, helps people with low vision, dyslexia and “print disabilities” (unable to hold a book) by providing audio books or braille. A doctor, nurse or physical therapist can provide a referral for the services.

Who says there’s no free lunch? According to fire company volunteer Carol Zellers, 700-800 meals were prepared to feed the crowd at no cost. Members of the Lehighton Honor Society volunteered to help carry lunch trays and other needed tasks throughout the day.

Kathleen Kurtz of Weatherly brought her neighbor Donna Kost to the event. Kurtz said, “There’s lots of worthwhile information inside.”