The Friends of Brewster Seniors (the Friends) is dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for seniors in our community through advocacy, support, and enriching activities.

Our mission is to provide assistance and services which enable the elderly to enjoy healthy, productive and useful lives with dignity and security. We do this by supporting the Council on Aging programs and needs, as well as the individual needs of disadvantaged Brewster seniors.

The Friends of Brewster Seniors (“The Friends”), formerly known as the Friends of Brewster Elders, was formed in July of 1979, and celebrates its 45th Anniversary in 2024.  Incorporated as a 501c (3), the Friends was formed five short years after the Town of Brewster created their Council on Aging (COA) in 1994.  The Friends concept was encouraged by elected town officials as an avenue to supplement funding for the COA’s needs.  This is something that the Friends continue to do, forty-five years later.  The original incorporators were Virginia Manganelli, Anne W. Henderson, and Lois Raez.

The Friends believe in respect, compassion, and community. These values are at the heart of everything we do.

From health and wellness activities to advocacy and social trips, our programs are designed to support seniors in every aspect of their lives. The Friends were primarily formed to provide transportation, recreation, educational and social contacts that would enable the elderly, who were restricted from their normal activities, to enjoy healthy, productive and useful lives with dignity and security.

Through the years, the Friends continue to offer financial, recreational and social support to Brewster Seniors. The year-round Sea Captains’ Thrift Shop offers a variety of gently used items, with all proceeds supporting Friends of Brewster Seniors programs

Over the years, the Friends has served hundreds of Brewster seniors, providing primarily social support and enriching activities that improved their quality of life, as well as financial support as a result of special requests. For example, the Friends routinely offer discounted tickets to the Cape Symphony, museum trips, whale watches, train rides, boating on the Bay, A Taste of Crosby Mansion gathering, etc. We have also paid for dental bills, car repairs, insurance premiums, etc. when requested.

The Friends additionally have donated appliances such as a freezer, a refrigerator, a big-screen television, and a water bottle filling station, as well as financial assistance for new vans for the COA! These were all items that needed replacement at the time, but no funds were available under the town budget. It is through our relationship with the COA that we serve even more of Brewster’s senior population.

We are a proud member of the Brewster Chamber of Commerce. Local businesses are supportive of our many programs, especially our annual premier event A Taste of Crosby Mansion and the Ice Cream Social.