Manchester Senior Lunches switching to using in-county caterers
Having lunch at The Senior Cafe at Manchester United Methodist Church. Photo courtesy of Pat Vailliencourt.
by Sara Swanson
The Washtenaw County Office of Community and Economic Development (OCED) announced last week that it is in the process of moving all Home Delivered and Senior Café Meal programs to local caterers that provide meals made within Washtenaw County beginning this month. In Manchester, Senior Café Meals are facilitated by the Manchester Area Senior Citizens Council and served on Tuesdays and Thursdays starting at noon at the Manchester United Methodist Church Fellowship Hall located at 501 Ann Arbor St. Up until this month, the meals were being prepared by Elite Catering in Livonia, in Wayne County.
Marti Popyk, Senior Nutrition Program Specialist, shares that this has been a long-term goal for the program. “We wanted our food to be locally sourced, whenever possible, and this new partnership with Jewish Family Services and Nourish Nutrition Services will provide locally prepared meals to our seniors in the program.”
The Washtenaw County OCED Senior Nutrition Program has two main arms. The Home Delivered Meal Program, often called Meals on Wheels, delivers hot meals right to seniors’ doors. The Senior Café Program, also called the Congregate Meal Program, provides sit-down meals at local senior centers or churches. Through these two programs, more then 2,000 local seniors are served with 300,000 meals being served annually.
Home Delivered Meal services are available throughout all of Washtenaw County. To qualify, clients must be at least 60 years of age, medically homebound, and in need of home-delivered meal services. Manchester’s Meals on Wheels program is administered through the Chelsea Senior Center. Call 734-475-9242 for more information. There is never a waitlist in Washtenaw County for Home Delivered Meal Services.
During Senior Cafés, seniors can enjoy a meal at one of 10 cafés hosted at local senior centers or churches throughout the county. Guests 60 and over can enjoy a meal for a suggested donation of $3 per meal. No one 60 years of age or older will ever be turned away for an inability to contribute. Guests of seniors are welcome and pay $6.50 per meal. If you plan to attend in Manchester, please call Charlene Provey at 517-262-7828 at least a week ahead of the meal so they can order the correct number of meals.
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