In 1965 President Johnson signed the Older Americans Act which directed funding to programs supporting seniors in the United States. In San Luis Obispo County, some of that funding enabled the Senior Nutrition Program to be established, feeding wholesome nutritious meals to the ageing community in our county. In 1991, the program was incorporated into a nonprofit agency, and now runs under the name Meals that Connect.
With such a long history of feeding folks, the agency immediately jumped to mind when Slow Money SLO was assembling our Catch for Hunger Relief program partners. Meals that Connect provides 2,000 meals weekly to seniors either at their communal meal sites, or delivered to homes. Meal sites have been closed temporarily during COVID, but the agency is excited to open them again starting June 15th! Communal meals give seniors social time that many do not have on a regular basis, not to mention a hot, home-cooked meal!
Meals prepared at Meals that Connect's central kitchen using locally caught fish! Photos courtesy of Meals that Connect.
Meals that Connect has a central kitchen that prepares all meals from scratch to give ageing clients the best nutrition possible. As such, chefs and staff were excited to receive fresh, locally caught fish! Since this premium product is typically beyond the nonprofit’s budget, it has been a real treat for the agency to be able to provide it since the beginning of the Catch for Hunger Relief program in March.
Executive Director Elias Nimeh has received enthusiastic feedback from various clients. The agency’s office, which typically does not field many phone calls each day, has heard from many clients who have called to offer praise and gratitude for the fish meals! Seniors are excited to have the fresh protein, exclaiming how delicious it is and how much they love it! Meals that Connect has responded by putting fish on the menu once a week. They look forward to future catches!
Slow Money SLO is thrilled to have this feedback, especially from some of our community’s most vulnerable populations! We are grateful to Catch Together for making this program possible, and to our partners for their cooperation and dedication to supporting our fisheries and food system. Thanks to Giovanni’s and Morro Bay Rotary for giving back to our community!