Feeding valley seniors: Church serving free weekday meals

The exact number of senior citizens experiencing hunger in the Las Vegas Valley is hard to pinpoint. Many proud seniors forgo a meal to pay their rent, utility bills or buy life-saving medication.

As of February, seniors 60 or older can enjoy a free, nutritious meal, meet a few neighbors and maybe even make some new friends.

The new Heart of the City Senior Meal program offers meals from 2:30 to 3:30 p.m. Mondays through Fridays at Reformation Lutheran Church, 580 E. St. Louis Ave. For people 59 or younger, a $5 donation is suggested.

The program is made possible by a one-year, renewable $49,829 grant from the Nevada Department of Aging and Disability Services Division, said Derrick Felder, marketing and development director of Lutheran Social Services of Nevada, 73 Spectrum Blvd.

"This is the only one (senior food program) in Las Vegas funded by the state," Felder said. "With programs like this, it's a very slow start, but the numbers are picking up from three to five people in a week to mid- to upper 20s (a day) as word gets out," he said.

LSSN chose the Reformation Lutheran Church primarily for its location to seniors in the low-income bracket who may be experiencing hunger insecurity.

For the Rev. Jason Adams, it was a match made in heaven.

"I came to this church (one year ago), and they had just renovated this kitchen," Adams said of his first congregation assignment. "It was kind of just here (sitting) vacant. When Derrick from LSSN came to me and said, 'I've got an idea for you — how about hosting the senior meal program?', I'm like, 'Thank you, God.' This is an answered prayer because I'm thinking, 'What do we do with this kitchen?' "

All meals are prepared and delivered by the nonprofit Nevada Partners' Culinary Academy of Las Vegas, 710 W. Lake Mead Blvd. Strict adherence to federally mandated dietary guidelines and temperature tracking make for the delivery of safe, nutritious meals with a tasty flair provided by budding chefs-in-training. The menu varies daily with chicken cordon bleu, tri-color pasta, corn on the cob, fresh fruit and milk served on the day a reporter visited.

A quick glance around the dining room revealed a few oxygen tanks and walkers, but rarely does the conversation turn to the guests' health issues. The seniors enjoy their meals while they debate world and local politics, past and present.

Conversations center on "anything and everything," said guest Harold Kindy, 73, who walks and takes a bus to enjoy a meal, "visit and see who's in the neighborhood."

Volunteers come from different age groups and all walks of life. More volunteers are always needed to help serve guests as the program draws more attendees. Cleanup is minimal because all food is served with disposable tableware. A Food Handler Safety Training card from the Southern Nevada Health Department is required even though volunteers do not prepare the food.

Curtis Williams, at the suggestion of his friend Adams, decided to spend a few hours of his 30th birthday serving seniors. Even though Williams, worship leader at Trinity Life Center, 1000 E. St. Louis Ave., assured his buddy that he had a current Food Handler safety card, Adams checked the card to make sure that no exceptions were made — even for the birthday boy.

As the program grows, LSSN hopes to expand hours and open a second location, Felder said.

"We hope that seniors will come here and have a good time and want to come back the next day and bring their friends," he said.

"Creating community, that's what it's about," Adams said. "This is a place where they can come, and you can see they form community — they may not be in church Sunday morning, but they form their community here Monday through Friday, and they get to know each other and become regulars."

To learn more about LSSN and the meal program, visit lssnv.org or call 702-639-1730, or call the Reformation Lutheran Church at 702-732-2052.

To become a volunteer, email marisa@lssnv.org.