Area senior citizens can eat better while meeting and making friends through Catholic Charities’ SeniorDine Program.
The program might be largely unknown in the public, but as many as 1,200 seniors in Kankakee County benefit each month. About 800 people go out to eat, and another 400 people have meals delivered to them.
On April 16, Catholic Charities opened its new SeniorDine site at Los Dos Puebla restaurant, 120 N. Walnut St., Manteno. About 40 people attended the lunch and stayed for a raffle drawing.
Catholic Charities actually operates three types of dining programs, all designed to bring nutritious meals to seniors. There is a meal delivery program. Fresh meals are delivered only in the city of Kankakee because of the practical limit of delivering them. Frozen meals are delivered countywide.
There is a large-scale dining program, which brings people into a large setting. Those meetings are held at the Community Center at Sun River Terrace and the Pembroke Senior Center. Sun River Terrace is a Wednesday lunch. Pembroke is a Monday, Wednesday, Friday lunch. There is also the restaurant-oriented senior dining, which was the focus of the April 16 event.
Since 2021, Lori’s Diner, 364 E. Court St., Kankakee, has been a senior dine site. Los Dos Puebla became the second site April 16.
Senior citizens picked entrees from a menu. The food is specifically selected, for this program and all other senior dining programs, for nutritional value, said Brandon Burrows, the manager for the program. Thus, the lunches come with juice. Any pop or alcohol is on your own.
Los Dos Puebla is owned by Miguel A. Puebla and his family. He’s been in business for two years but has long experience working in other restaurants. He enjoys the idea of helping local seniors.
HOW IT WORKS
The restaurant senior dining program operates on a donation basis. Participants must be 60 years old or older. Their spouses are also included. If there is a person with a disability between ages 18 to 59 living in the home with the senior, they also can be included.
Participants must get a card to order. The cards are available or can be loaded for more meals at particular sites and times: Community Cup Church, 900 W. Jeffery St., Kankakee, 9:30-1:30 p.m. May 2 and June 3; The Grow Center, 310 Main St., NW, Bourbonnais, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. May 13 and June 10; and the Kankakee Public Library, 201 E. Merchant, Kankakee, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. May 15 and June 17.
Burrows encourages seniors to sign up for any of the programs. He wants more participants and was excited to add the Manteno location to the program.
When getting or adding to a meal card, Burrows said donations are welcome and encouraged. But no one is turned away if they cannot afford to make a donation. They then can use the card at Lori’s Diner or Los Dos Puebla at any time.
“You can use it when you want to use it,” Burrows said.
All people need to do is show their card. Tips are not included.
The food delivery program has two options. Seniors can get 10 frozen meals delivered every two weeks and then microwave them and consume them on their schedule. Or they can get fresh meals delivered five days per week in the city of Kankakee.
You do get a choice with the frozen meals, but there is no selection with the fresh meals. You simply get what is prepared for the day.
You can call to get more information on any of the three meals programs: at Lori’s or Los Dos Puebla; at the Sun River Terrace Community Center or Pembroke Senior Center; or for home delivery either frozen or fresh.
Call 815-933-7791 between 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. weekdays. Federal and state grants help pay for the senior food programs.
