Popular Dane County Senior Meal Program Expands Through Partnership with Festival Foods
January 25, 2018
County Executive
“My Meal, My Way” Will Provide More Healthy, Affordable Options for Seniors
MADISON – My Meal, My Way, a popular meal program for adults over 60, will provide even more options thanks to a partnership with Festival Foods, Dane County Executive Joe Parisi announced today at the official launch of the new Madison meal site.
With My Meal, My Way, older adults are able to have an affordable, nutritious meal in restaurants across the county. Participants can order right off the menu, and because the program is donation-based, they only pay what they can afford. With the opening of this new site at Festival Foods, they can now create their plate from an abundantly healthy salad bar, coupled with a freshly made bowl of soup.
“For seniors living on a fixed income, access to healthy, affordable food options can often be a struggle,” said Parisi. “My Meal, My Way not only connects seniors with nutritious meals, it also offers a unique way for our seniors to connect with others in our community.”
Every Thursday from 11am – 1:30 pm, older adults over 60 may take one trip through Festival Foods’ extensive salad bar, and order one bowl of soup. Dining space is available in the Festival Foods Mezzanine overlooking downtown Madison. After lunch, seniors will be able to do their grocery shopping before returning home. Transportation can be provided to those in need.
According to Kevin Schnell, Madison Store Director for Skogen’s Festival Foods, “We are proud to be a partner to help ensure seniors are able to enjoy our expansive, fresh salad bar selection with many healthy options. We hope the experience will be enjoyable and convenient for everyone participating!”
Included in the new partnership is the North/ Eastside Senior Coalition and the East Madison/Monona Coalition of the Aging. The groups are teaming up to provide the volunteers and staffing needed to make this a welcoming new option for seniors.
According to Sonya Lindquist, Executive Director for EMMCA, “It is wonderful that two Dane County Senior Coalitions are able to work with Dane County and Festival Foods to offer a senior meal site that, not only provides an opportunity for a great meal and socialization, but also provides an opportunity for grocery shopping. This option has not been available in Dane County and we are excited to be part of bringing it to seniors.”
Festival Foods is the fifth meal site in Dane County to offer the unique program. Dane County began its first My Meal, My Way partnership with Cranberry Creek in Monona in 2014 as a way to increase meal choices, improve quality, provide flexibility in dining times, and increase socialization for seniors in a natural setting with people of all ages.
Since that time, Dane County has opened 3 additional My Meal-My Way Restaurant sites over the past 3 years: Fink’s Café in Mt. Horeb, The DeForest Family Restaurant in DeForest, and Ziggy’s BBQ Smokehouse & Ice Cream Parlor in Oregon.
To learn more about My Meal, My Way, and view a listing of all of Dane County’s senior meal sites and partners, please visit https://aaa.dcdhs.com/pdf/nutrition_brochure.pdf .