Lunch program and holiday feast at senior center

Though most participants are 65 or older, all people older than 50 are eligible to participate in the wide variety of activities at the Costa Mesa Senior Center.

Nearly 75% of the seniors served have physical frailties including difficulty walking or seeing. More than 60% are considered extremely low income, earning 30% or less of the county’s median income, and live on the west side of Costa Mesa, home to 75% of Costa Mesa’s low-income population. Most are retired and struggling to survive on Welfare or Social Security.

Recently the Costa Mesa Senior Center started the Senior Lunch Box Program. It began when center personnel noticed that some of the seniors being served were losing weight because they couldn’t afford sufficient food.

The Senior Lunch Box operates on the second and fourth Fridays of each month between 1 and 2 p.m. The program serves 55 low-income seniors who have been screened for eligibility based on need and income.

Food is purchased from America’s Second Harvest and is arranged for distribution at the Costa Mesa Senior Center. On the two Fridays each month, program participants may select enough food items to fill two or three grocery bags at a retail value of approximately $100. Most of the items are nonperishable; fresh vegetables and fruits are included when they are available.

The program allows participants to maintain health and avoid hunger through a balanced selection of foods. It helps seniors afford medications, utilities, and other basic necessities. Food is provided at a familiar, convenient location and helps seniors avoid food insecurity by providing regular supplemental food.

Program participants have indicated to staff that the food provided through the Senior Lunch Box Program has assisted them in eating a variety of nutritious foods and helped them stretch meager budgets to include other necessities. The program has a waiting list of seniors hoping to receive assistance and alleviate their anxiety about having enough to eat.

We were also fortunate to receive a grant for this program from the S. Mark Taper Foundation, founded in 1989. The foundation is a private family foundation dedicated to enhancing the quality of people’s lives by supporting nonprofit organizations and their work in our communities.

If you know anyone needing this program, please feel free to contact Darryl Kim for further information (949) 645-2356, ext. 16.

ANOTHER THANKSGIVING CELEBRATION

A magical time of year is nearly upon us.

As the last leaves fall from the trees, we are reminded that many countries throughout the world have a harvest festival of some kind.

In the U.S., Thanksgiving is a day to gather the family and express thanks for blessings, but some individuals may gather around the television to watch football and parades instead. Today, watching football is synonymous with Thanksgiving, but does this take away from the meaning of Thanksgiving?

Carmen Cusido wrote, “Watching sports on television or participating in them is part of the tradition of Thanksgiving. The Pilgrims and Native Americans had sporting contests at their autumn festival in 1621. Pilgrims displayed their shooting skills with guns, while the Native Americans exhibited their talents with bows and arrows, racing, wrestling and other games.

“Some people think watching football is as much part of the holiday as turkey and pumpkin pie.”

Many seniors find themselves alone at Thanksgiving, but Costa Mesa seniors will experience the joy of sharing a holiday meal.

At the center we are fortunate to have a wonderful sponsor, Surat Singh from Angel’s Car Wash in Costa Mesa, who believes in seniors and all that they have taught us and feels it is time to give back to the community.

Singh will once again sponsor our Thanksgiving lunch, which will consist of all the traditional foods, turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, yams, cranberry sauce, apple and cherry pies.

If you are interested in joining us for this great occasion, please call (949) 645-2356 as reservations are a must.

* AVIVA GOELMAN is the executive director of the Costa Mesa Senior Center and will write occasional columns about the center, its members and senior issues.

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