Meals on Wheels of the Salinas Valley helps seniors socialize

After months of COVID-19 stay-at-home orders and social distancing mandates, seniors in South Monterey County have an excuse to get together thanks to Meals on Wheels of the Salinas Valley.

In the hopes of expanding its outreach to local seniors, the organization has launched a new program called South County Seniors Social, where older members of the community eager to interact have the chance to converse in monthly social hours. Offered in Soledad and Gonzales, these functions feature live music, lunch from local restaurants, opportunities to learn more about the services available to seniors throughout Monterey County, and most importantly, a friendly face.

“One of the biggest issues with seniors is how isolated they feel, and COVID-19 didn’t help any of that, so we wondered what we could do,” said Regina Gage, executive director for Meals on Wheels of the Salinas Valley. “We came up with this idea where seniors could hang out for a couple hours, enjoying some good food and good music with good company.”

First held in September, the social hours have been an “overwhelming success,” Gage noted. Through the program’s short tenure, Meals on Wheels of the Salinas Valley has seen a regular pool of 35-40 visitors at the Soledad location (the Soledad Community Center), and 75 attendees in Gonzales (St. Theodore’s Church Parish Hall) each month.

“We knew there was a need for seniors to get out and socialize and that was confirmed by the attendance we have seen at both (socials),” said Gage.

Expanding to South County is a goal Meals of Wheel of the Salinas Valley has considered for years, Gage explained. Through its regular programming, which focuses on getting food to homebound seniors, the organization serves 225 people a week. But with the pandemic weighing on seniors, sometimes more than their younger peers, now seemed like the right time to widen services to not only include social support but also more equal programming for every area of Salinas Valley, Gage continued.

“South County doesn’t seem to get a lot of attention or resources put out there, but it’s in our service area, so we thought it was time to expand,” she said. “It all just made sense.”

Apart from providing a place to socialize, the social hours have proven to be a hub for Monterey County senior service providers other than Meals on Wheels of the Salinas Valley also looking to widen their reach. These include resources like Alliance on Aging, American Red Cross, Blue Zones Project, California Highway Patrol, Home March Monterey County, Independent Transport Network Monterey County, and Legal Services for Seniors, to name a few.

At each luncheon, representatives from these organizations are available to answer any questions seniors might have. The outcome, Gage said, has been a “fun, festive, and informational environment.”

Having seen the success in South County, Meals on Wheels of the Salinas Valley is starting to think about doing something similar in North Monterey County. Gage said the nonprofit will also continue to provide social hours in South County past the new year, as long as enthusiasm persists.

Upcoming social hours will take place in Soledad on Tuesday, Dec. 14 from 11 a.m-1 p.m. at the Soledad Community Center, 550 Walker Dr., and Thursday, Dec. 16 from 11 a.m.-1 p.m. at St. Theodore’s Church Parish Hall, 116 S. Belden St. Soledad’s social hour will feature live mariachi music and a holiday wreath-making activity, while the Gonzales event will feature a visit from Santa Claus himself.

Meals on Wheels of the Salinas Valley encourages anyone interested to register in advance by calling 831-223-5250 for Soledad social hours and 831-675-2579 or 831-809-8216 for Gonzales social hours.