A taste of community for seniors
Food not only tastes good and satisfies hunger, but it can be medicinal as well.
So said the 2022 White House Conference on Hunger, Nutrition, and Health, which issued a call to action to end hunger and reduce the prevalence of chronic disease in the U.S. by 2030.
Access to nutritious food is critical to health and resilience, according to the conference.
Food is Medicine is a concept that reaffirms that connection, recognizing that access to high-quality nourishment is essential for well-being.
Meals That Connect, a nonprofit nutrition program for seniors in San Luis Obispo County and northern Santa Barbara County, embraces the concept. It does so through its nourishing meals and by promoting health and wellness, Brandee Brown-Puett, the group’s deputy director, told the Business Times Sept. 17.
“We also provide nutrition education quarterly for our seniors,” Brown-Puett said. “Often, the seniors we work with are single, or live alone, so they’re at risk for malnutrition,”
By providing them the meals and teaching them about various kinds of diets and related subjects, the program helps to enhance their overall well-being, she said.
The meals are required by the Area Agency on Aging to have specific nutrients. According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, about half of all American adults — or 117 million individuals — have one or more preventable chronic diseases, many related to poor-quality eating patterns and physical inactivity.
The illnesses include cardiovascular disease, high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, some cancers, and poor bone health.
Meals That Connect began in 1974 in San Luis Obispo County and expanded into northern Santa Barbara County in 2023.
Marking its 50th anniversary this year, the nonprofit provides more than 200,000 free, nutritious noontime meals annually to San Luis Obispo County seniors aged 60 and older regardless of income.
Data as to the number of meals served annually in northern Santa Barbara County wasn’t immediately available, but the Monday-through-Friday program caters to about 2,200 clients annually throughout its two-county service area.
Seniors gather at 16 dining sites in both counties to not only eat, but as Meals That Connect’s name implies, make connections and develop friendships. That’s especially important for seniors who live alone and face social isolation, according to the nonprofit.
“It’s more than just the meal,” Brown-Puett said. “It’s also about connection because isolation is so harmful to health.”
For those San Luis Obispo County seniors who are unable to leave their homes, meals are delivered.
Meals in Santa Barbara County are only available at dining sites. There are no deliveries.
Meals That Connect expanded into northern Santa Barbara County with financial support from CenCal Health, among others. CenCal Health is the Medi-Cal health plan for over 241,000 residents of Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo counties.
“We so appreciate the important work that Meals That Connect is doing to strengthen the physical and mental health of seniors,” CenCal Health CEO Marina Owen said in a Sept. 17 statement to the Business Times. “Meals That Connect is truly our partner in the shared vision of advancing health equity – so that our Central Coast communities thrive and achieve optimal health.”
Brown-Puett said that according to the Area Agency on Aging, by 2030, 29% of San Luis Obispo County’s population, and 27% of Santa Barbara County’s population will be over 60 years old.
“So, as our population is aging, we really need to address the nutritional needs of our older community members,” Brown-Puett said. “And we know that the needs for our program is really going to increase. So, we’re really working on partnering and ensuring that everyone has access to this service.”
