Two perennial problems that seniors face all too often are loneliness and reliable food access. The Lincoln Golden Ages Senior Center recently announced that it is bringing back a free meals program to its senior café at Brick Elementary School.
“We encourage anybody who is a senior, who needs a meal, to come in and enjoy it,” Denise Case, who coordinates the program, said.
Hot meals are served, with Case describing fare ranging from “fish, to lasagna. We’ve had a bolognaise, meat loaf” and sandwiches are also sometimes available. The school is located at 8970 Whitaker Road. This program provides food from noon to 1pm every Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday.
This senior nutritional program is a revival of one that began in 1992, but closed in 2020 due to a lack of demand, which has since picked up again. The meals are provided by the Nourish Shalom Kitchen of Jewish Family Services of Washtenaw County.
“Providing nutritious, medically and culturally appropriate meals to older adults is central to JFS’s work,” Chrissy Taylor, Senior Director of Community Assistance at the Jewish Family Services of Washtenaw County, said in a press release. “Through Nourish, we are committed Family ensuring that our neighbors not only have food on their plates, but also opportunities to gather, laugh, and feel cared for.”
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Around 60 seniors are regulars at the program, but more are welcome. Seniors can access these meals for free, but can make a donation to the program if they can or choose.
Anyone under 60 can also access food here. But if you are under 60, that will cost $5.50 per person.
“The reopening of the Lincoln Golden Ages Senior Center meal program is a powerful reminder that funding from the Older Persons Services Millage is making a real difference in the lives of our older adults. In our rural communities, access to consistent, nutritious meals is a matter of health, connection and dignity,” Washtenaw County Board of Commissioners Vice-Chair Justin Hodge said in the same press release. “Senior nutrition was one of the top priorities of the millage, and I am proud to see that commitment being realized right here in our community.”
This location is one of ten such programs located throughout Washtenaw County, according to the Office of Community and Economic Development. The OCED is currently in the process of creating even more locations in the future.
Drew Saunders is a freelance business and environmental journalist who grew up just outside of Ann Arbor. He covers local business developments, embraces his foodie side with reviews restaurants, obsesses over Michigan's environmental state, loves movies, and feels spoiled by the music he gets to review for Ann Arbor!
