Millwood senior lunch site launched

A new senior lunch program in Millwood drew 27 people in its first week.

Launched Feb. 19 by Spokane Valley Meals on Wheels in conjunction with Millwood Community Presbyterian Church, the meals will be offered every Monday at the church to anyone age 60 or older who registers.

This is the fourth senior lunch site for sit-down meals offered by the Meals on Wheels agency along with community partners. Other senior lunch programs are at the Valley Senior Center in Mirabeau Point’s CenterPlace, Opportunity Presbyterian Church and Liberty Lake City Hall.

Spokane Valley Meals on Wheels is best known for its home-delivered meal program. However, the agency also operates senior lunch programs throughout the greater Spokane Valley area. These programs allow seniors who are not homebound to come together, enjoy a nutritious meal and participate in educational, recreational and social activities.

“Our goal is to keep seniors healthier by helping them remain engaged in the community as well as by providing nutritious meals,” said Pam Almeida, Valley Meals on Wheels Executive Director.

Among the four sites, only the one at Opportunity is fully subsidized by the federal government, Almeida said. The Valley Senior Center site is subsidized two out of five days with funding from the Older Americans Act and through Aging and Longterm Care, a regional program. The city of Spokane Valley provides some funding as well.

In Liberty Lake, the city and the area’s Kiwanis group offers financial support for the lunch program there. The new Millwood site is getting off the ground with the help of funds from Millwood Community Presbyterian Church.

“The church is helping us a little to get us started as a pilot project to see if we can get it started and then try to raise the funds to keep it going,” Almeida said. “I think it will grow quickly just based on comments I heard from people.

“The federal money couldn’t stretch any further but we really felt we need these smaller community programs,” she added. “For many seniors, it’s difficult to travel very far if they have to cross major arterials. My dream is to have these little neighborhood senior lunch programs across the Valley.”

Visitors, who preregister, are asked for a recommended donation of $3 per meal.