Have Lunch at Buchanan Area Senior Center Provided by Senior Nutrition Services
by Rebecka Hoyt, Editor & Photographer
Buchanan Area Senior Center (BASC) is a great and welcoming place where senior citizens age 55 and up can attend and mingle with others while having lunch. Senior Nutrition Services puts on lunches and delivers Meals on Wheels to those in a 5-mile radius of the BASC.
The eating area at the BASC has plenty of room for more seniors to come have lunch. Their numbers are down a bit from 5-10 people on average and 10-12 before the pandemic. Lunch is served from 12 Noon to 12:30pm. There is no cost for the meal, however, donations are welcomed. If you are 55 or older, you may bring a younger friend/relative with you and they would pay $5.75 for their lunch, which is a good price. You can also enjoy a view from the new sunroom while you are there. Dial-a-Ride gives free rides to the BASC as you stay there and eat lunch and then give you a ride home if you live in the city limits of Buchanan, MI. Any questions about living just outside of those limits, call Kerri Pettie, the BASC Site Manager of Meals on Wheels at 269-695-7119 and before 10am to request a meal for the next business day Monday – Friday.
As all kinds of events are held at the BASC before lunch is served, some seniors tend to stay to have lunch. Others come in to sit with patrons and chat, do some knitting/crocheting, puzzles/games, exercise groups, blood sugar/hearing aid checks, and the list goes on. Some of the meals that the patrons told me of what they like are: “meatloaf, BBQ chicken, sloppy joe’s, liver and onions (there are some who don’t like this item), pork/beef roast, and stuffed peppers.” Their menus coincide with the seasons.
Senior Nutrition Services/Meals on Wheels also provide “Supper Snacks” Mon – Fri for those individuals with high nutritional risks, and “Frozen Meals” for the weekend which many of the seniors like. Produce also comes to their door and Linda Strohl has been told by the seniors, “I wouldn’t be able to afford it.” To be able to have these meals a questionnaire is given and to be able to give at least face-to-face contact two times a week when they are delivered. For more information visit their website at: www.snsmeals.org.
About Senior Nutrition Servies / Meals on Wheels of Southwest Michigan: Senior Nutrition Services which does business as Meals on Wheels of SW Michigan is an independent 501c3 which provides meals that are served at senior centers and community sites in Berrien, Cass, and Van Buren counties offers a choice to eat a meal at a local restaurant and delivers meals to seniors’ homes. The Cass County Council on Aging delivers meals in Cass county. Our goals are to nourish, support and connect seniors to services to help them to remain living independently, safely, and with a stable source of healthy food.
About Buchanan Area Senior Center: Buchanan Area Senior Center provides a complete facility, a friendly and efficient staff, and active volunteers that enhance the quality of life of seniors in our community. We offer programs and services designed to promote physical, social, and mental well-being, including exercise, recreation, and crafts, as well as Senior Nutrition Services, food commodities, and a Senior Community Garden.
The Buchanan Chronicle 