Great Northern Services now manages Siskiyou Senior Nutrition, a program that provides lunches at two Community Cafés and home delivered meals. All Siskiyou County seniors and non-seniors are welcome to frequent both cafés: one at the Mount Shasta City Park and one at the Dunsmuir Community Center Building.
All of the meals offered feature complex carbohydrates, nutrientpacked vegetables, and healthy proteins, according to a Great Northern press release. They also have options to meet common dietary restrictions, such as a diabetic or gluten-free diet.
“The lunches are all fresh cooked and very tasty,” said Siskiyou Senior Nutrition patron and Mount Shasta resident Patricia, “I love how most of the meals have fresh fruit for dessert.”
This nutritional program was previously operated by the Mt. Shasta Senior Nutrition Program.
The Community Cafés meals offer nutritional and social benefits, the release states. Seniors often have a difficult time cooking interesting food for themselves.
“Community Cafés provide great nutrition through delicious meals – keeping seniors healthy and secure,” said Marie-Josée Wells, Great Northern Services’ executive director. “Seniors and non-seniors connect and enjoy meals together, creating friendships.”
Transportation (with ADA accessibility) to and from the Mount Shasta Community Café is available within the Mount Shasta city limits upon reservation by calling (530) 926-4611. Seniors are encouraged to donate for daily round-trip transportation if they can.
“It makes a world of difference for me to come here,” said Martha, a patron who has been coming for two years and always utilizes the available transportation. “The employees are kind, so kind. The drivers pick me up three days a week and then on Fridays they bring me a meal. It gets me out of my home.”
The Mount Shasta Community Café operates from Tuesday to Thursday at the City Park Upper Lodge, located 1315 Nixon Rd. The Dunsmuir Community Café opens on Wednesday at noon at the Dunsmuir Community Center Building, 4835 Dunsmuir Avenue. Reservations are required for the Dunsmuir Community Café.
Siskiyou Senior Nutrition recently became a Meals on Wheels member, and offers home delivered meals Tuesday to Friday. This service provides safe and nutritious meals delivered to the door of seniors residing within the four south County communities of Mount Shasta, Weed, Dunsmuir, and McCloud, who meet home-delivery service criteria.
“The goal of this program is to reduce hunger and food insecurity while promoting the health and well-being of older individuals in an effort to delay adverse health conditions,” said Heather Solus, GNS Community Services director. “Our program makes it a priority to bring food to frail, homebound, or isolated older adults.”
Volunteers or paid staff deliver meals to homebound clients. The volunteers or staff members delivering the meals have an important opportunity to provide some social contact for the homebound elder. Home Delivered Meals offer needed support for a homebound elder to remain safe in his or her own home.
Siskiyou Senior Nutrition also offers referrals for other senior services: Medi-Care, Social Security, Supplemental health plans and prescription coverage, Long-term health care, senior housing, tax preparation, veterans affairs, elder abuse prevention and reporting, caregiver support, and legal matters.
Major program funding comes from the federal level (authorized by the Older Americans Act), and additional state funds administered by the California Department of Aging, and USDA meal reimbursement, the release states. Since federal and state grant funding covers only a portion of actual meal costs, senior participants are given the opportunity to support their program with a suggested meal donation of $3 for congregate meals (at meal sites) and $3.50 for home-delivered meals. Individuals under 60 can participate and support this program by purchasing their meal for $10.
“Joining the group for lunch has been really rewarding,” said Nichole Solga Smith, GNS Energy General Manager. “I’ve had the chance to visit with participants, enjoy the delicious food, and introduce guests to the experience. It’s been wonderful getting to know community members I might not otherwise have met and supporting a program that obviously makes such a difference in so many lives.”
No reservations are required to attend lunch at a Community Café. To inquire about Home Delivered Meals, call (530) 926-4611. Donations can be made online at www.gnservices.org, community members interested in volunteering can find an application on that website as well.
To get more information about the Siskiyou Senior Nutrition call Solus at (530) 938-4115, extension 128.