GREENVILLE, N.C. (WNCT) – Some Pitt County senior citizens were feeling a little extra love on Valentine’s Day.

Monday, the Pitt County Council on Aging cut the ribbon on the newest expansion at the Senior Center. The $1.5 million, 7,000 square-foot center is keeping up with the many aging adults in Pitt County.

“After two years of planning, we broke ground last May, opened today,” said Rich Zeck, executive director of Pitt County Council on Aging. “This is an expansion of our facility to allow more seniors to come to our place.”

The expansion includes a big meeting room, two additional classrooms and an eating space.

“The Council on Aging has been around since 1975, we’ve been in this building for about 15 years, so we’ve already outgrown this building,” Zeck said. “This expansion will allow us to provide more service and allows us to feed more people here.”

Among those attending were NC Rep. Brian Farkas and NC Sen. Don Davis, who both believe this expansion is important for the Pitt County Community.

“To care for those who in one way or another have cared for us, invested in us, sacrificed in us, it is a privilege to do what we can to honor that generosity in return,” Farkas said. “It is something I see prioritized in Pitt County through investments like this one.”

“As our seniors are able to better live and sustain life, and a quality of life then they are able to spend more time too with their family members,” Davis added.

For Barbara Haney, who volunteered with the center for 18 years, this expansion and center is much needed for people like her.

“It will open up a whole new world for them,” Haney said “It will have people be able to come here that couldn’t come before.”

The expansion was made possible by donations from community members and organizations. If you’re interested in volunteering or attending gatherings at the Senior Center, contact them directly at 252-752-1717, or simply show up to participate.