A Senior Lunch program in Blue Island feeds 60 to 80 people a day
‘Those who can’t pay are fed anyway’
Those red kettles that have become a fundraising icon for the Salvation Army aren’t just brought out for the holidays.
They help with lunch, too. At the Salvation Army Cross-generations Center in Blue Island last Monday, older residents dropped a small donation in a red kettle as they stopped in to pick up their midday meal.
Among the Senior Lunch program participants last week was Linda Brown, of Chicago.
“This program has been very good for my husband and myself ” Brown said. “He has been very sick ... so this helps me spend more time helping him instead of cooking.”
Brown signed up for the program a little over a month ago and said the chicken salad sandwich and the beef sandwich have been her favorite meals so far.
“I enjoy the service that we get here” Brown said. “I also don’t have to worry what to feed him during the week. I hope they continue this program.”
According to Katie Heinz Pfingsten, the public relations manager for Salvation Army Metropolitan Division, the Senior Lunch program provides a hot meal for residents age 60 and older for a suggested donation of $2.
“Those who can’t pay are fed anyway,” she said.
Tyrone “Ty” Baafour, head chef at the Salvation Army Cross-generations Center is in charge of organizing the food, planning the menu and shopping for the ingredients.
“Food has always been a lifestyle to me even when I was growing up” Baafour said. As he cooked breaded shrimp. “It is more blessed to give than to receive, especially the elderly.”
Before the COVID-19 pandemic, seniors would gather in a room right off the kitchen just to talk, play bingo and other games.
“Most of the seniors like to come here because of the way we treat them, with love and respect,” Baafour said. “Some of these seniors don’t have family, so when they come here, they consider us their family. A few have said their own kids don’t reach out to them. God uses us to fulfill that need.”
Approximately 1 in 10 older Americans face the threat of hunger, according to the National Council on Aging. They are particularly vulnerable, since many live on a fixed income.
Frank Laos, 86, of Alsip, enjoyed the senior lunch so much he now volunteers at the center.
“I was Santa Claus” laughed Laos. “I also dressed up as the Easter Bunny and gave out baskets for St Patrick’s day. I always try and help — it makes me feel good because I’m a Christian.”
Laos, wearing his Korean War Veteran cap, has been taken part in the Senior Lunch program for about three years. A veteran who is recovering from alcoholism, Laos said he feels at home at the Cross-generations Center.
“This program helps me out because I don’t do a lot of cooking” he said. “Before the pandemic we got to eat our lunch here inside. It was a way to associate with people.”
The Salvation Army distributes lunches to seniors five days a week.
What was normally a sit-down meal pre-pandemic remains a drive-thru format to keep everyone safe. It has given Salvation Army staff and volunteers a chance to check in on the seniors during this time.
Lynda Mendoza, of Lansing, is the senior coordinator at the facility, a volunteer position that she has been in for five years.
“This lunch program is great for the seniors” Mendoza said. “This is an age group that hasn’t gotten together with other people because of COVID.”
Mendoza said the seniors haven’t been able to eat together since March 2020. For much of the last year, the seniors were not even coming inside the building; volunteers would bring the
lunches out to their car. Today, one person at a time signs in and waits for their lunch.
From ribs to meatloaf, Mendoza said the lunch program fulfills a community need.
“Some of these seniors are living on cans of soup and sandwiches” Mendoza said. “We may be the only hot meal they are getting.”
Salvation Army Capt. Louis Acosta and his wife, Linda, oversee the Senior Lunch program and said it’s made possible by the Age Options Nutrition Innovations Project and federal grants.
The Senior Lunch program is open to residents over age 60 in a service area from Homer Glen to South Holland including a part of Chicago.
“If the seniors come in with a child, we will charge a minimal fee, we never deny someone a meal” Acosta said.
Meals are served from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Mondays through Fridays. Acosta said they serve from 60 to 80 meals a day.
“If we don’t serve people, I don’t see a point in what we do” said Acosta. “As humans, we’re here to help one another. I believe in the calling to love one another as the Bible says.”
More information on the program is at 708-332-0100.