Meals on Wheels groups across metro Detroit have rolled out restaurant vouchers and mobile meal trucks. A University of Michigan survey revealed that older adults craved more choices in what they ate and where they dined.
AgeWays Nonprofit Senior Services works with older adults in Livingston, Macomb, Monroe, Oakland, St. Clair, and Washtenaw counties.
“Our senior nutrition programs are not means-based programs,” said Angela Patten, program manager of nutrition services for AgeWays Nonprofit Senior Services, according to The Oakland Press. “They’re not for poor or the lonely. As long as you’re 60, come hang out with us.”
Macomb County’s Office of Senior Services started a mobile congregate dining pilot this summer. A truck delivers prepackaged meals to places where seniors already spend time such as recreation centers and library events.
“We are still maintaining our traditional congregate sites, but this is intended to extend the reach of the program and bring lunch to where seniors are already gathering for activities and programs,” said Nicole Urban, program manager of Macomb County’s Office of Senior Services.
Restaurant voucher programs have expanded since June. Leo’s Coney Island locations in Highland, White Lake, Waterford, and Howell now accept dining cards subsidized by senior nutrition funding. More than 100 people signed up since the program kicked off in early August.
Participants must be 60 or older. Spouses or partners under 60 who accompany an eligible adult can also participate in group dining at centers. Thousands of people receive lunch, and sometimes breakfast, at centers throughout the region.
Waterford Township Meals on Wheels serves between 14,000 and 15,000 group dining meals each year at the Waterford Senior Center. Next year, providers will be asked to offer foods from different cultures, including Latino foods during National Hispanic Heritage Month from Sept. 15 to Oct. 15.
Dining and Cooking