Donna Jackson looks forward to enjoying free lunch, watching some daytime TV and chatting with her friends just about every day at the Community Alliance of the Far Eastside.
Just don’t tell her the meal assistance program is for senior citizens.
“I changed the name to seasoned citizens,” she said. “Because if you tell people we’re seniors, you feel bad. But if you say you’re seasoned, that’s a whole different meaning.”
About 11% of Central Indiana seniors face food insecurity. To combat that, Indiana nonprofit CICOA Aging and In-Home Solutions offers several meal assistance programs such as a home meal delivery service and neighborhood lunch gatherings like the one Jackson loves. Community organizations like CAFE provide space for the lunch programs, which are free and open to adults 60 and older.
“Food insecurity can directly relate to people’s overall health, and older adults sometimes get forgotten in this conversation about food insecurity,” said Allie Overett, a CICOA dietician. “But that’s despite the fact that they face a lot of those regular and common barriers for food insecurity.”
Those barriers include lack of transportation, not having enough money or living in a food desert.
Overett said without proper nutrition, there is a higher risk of falls, and people are more likely to develop or worsen chronic conditions. She said research shows people who eat together have better quality diets. And the meal gatherings help combat loneliness in seniors, which can affect mental health.
“Communing in a place like CAFE where they can come together and enjoy each other’s company and have a healthy meal can improve their quality of life,” Overett said.
Hot lunches offered throughout Central Indiana
CICOA offers hot lunches for seniors at 22 places across Central Indiana, many of which are in Indianapolis.
Most sites offer lunch every weekday. Meals are rotated on a 12-week cycle and participants are given a calendar so they can plan on what days they would like to come. The organization also includes culturally inclusive meals such as burrito bowls and teriyaki chicken and noodles.
Jackson said the meals are pretty good — for the most part. Her favorites are the oven fried chicken and the hamburgers.
But for Jackson, the meal gatherings are more about the people than the food. “Unless I got a doctor’s appointment, I’m here,” she said.
On days she doesn’t like the menu, she’ll just bring her own food.
“We have a little microwave in the back, and I still eat with the rest of them,” Jackson said. “I’m not going to sit there and look at everybody else eat. I still get to participate in everything else going on that day.”
In addition to the meal services, CICOA also offers seniors activities like exercise classes and most recently an art class taught by local artists.
Jackson likes to participate in as many activities as she can. And she likes a challenge too. She recently tried a difficult yoga pose in an exercise class.
“If you don’t use it, you lose it,” she said. “If you don’t converse with other people, then I feel that leads to Alzheimer’s and stuff like that. And if you don’t exercise, it creates a fall risk. And I don’t like falling.”
To learn more
You can learn more about CICOA’s programs online. If you’re interested in neighborhood meals, you can register in person at one of the organization’s 22 meal sites.
Mirror Indy reporter Darian Benson covers east Indianapolis. Contact her at 317-397-7262 or darian.benson@mirrorindy.org. Follow her on X @HelloImDarian.
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