“Despite the pandemic, heatwaves and smoke, staff at all the sites have done a tremendous job of providing nutritious meals to older adults,” says Diana Miller, Seniors’ Agenda Project Manager for the County of Santa Clara. “They are all essential workers who are unsung heroes.”

In normal times, Santa Clara County’s Senior Nutrition Program (SNP) provides for the serving of hot lunches to seniors aged 60 and older in congregate meal settings such as community centers and senior housing communities.

The COVID-19 crisis, of course, has presented new and special challenges. Since March 2020, in lieu of serving meals onsite, the SNP has been providing to-go or curbside meals as well as home-delivered meals to those who are sheltering in place.

This week’s #SiliconValleyStrongHeroes are connecting our most vulnerable populations to nutritious meals, currently serving 37 sites throughout the county. These sites feature several ethnic meals designed to appeal to individual and cultural palates in our diverse community.

The program has also registered approximately 1,400 new participants since the start of the pandemic. The need is great. In July, SNP served a total of 82,805 meals, although the budget was for only 58,185 meals. While the numbers for August are not yet available, initial reports indicate that the trend in demand will continue according to Miller.

For more information about specific sites and hours of operation, an interactive map is available at the County’s Senior Nutrition Program website.  You can also find additional information on the program at https://www.sccgov.org/sites/ssa/food-assistance/snp/Pages/senior_nutrition.aspx.

#SVStrongHeroes