Basics of Congregate
Congregate meal programs provide healthy meals served in group settings. They aim to keep older adults healthy and independent, offer opportunities for social engagement, and connect people with other supports and services. Despite the many benefits, it can sometimes be challenging to get participants to attend — and keep attending — your congregate site. Explore strategies that increase engagement and ensure your program thrives.
Quick Guides
- Decision Tree — Tool for classifying specific nutrition service delivery models under the OAA
- Identifying Total Cost of a Meal — Summary brief for meal cost calculations
- Improving the Congregate Meal Dining Experience — Simple ways to increase participation and satisfaction
- The Dining Experience — Congregate Meal Policy Myth Busters — Common myths and the facts
about meal policies
Guides
- Activity Guides
- Car Show and Parade — Safely distanced community event
- Crack the Code — Word unscrambling game
- Did You Know? Game — Gathering to encourage connection
- Guided Imagery — Relaxation technique/exercise
- Holiday Inspiration Calendar — Calendar of nutrition and food-related holidays
- Nutritionary — Drawing and guessing game
- Recipe Sharing — Group project with opportunity for culture exchange
- Senior BrushStrokes — Painting activity idea from Camden County Senior Center in Georgia
- Text Challenge — Group-text health challenges
- Food Waste Reduction— Resources for better food sourcing, reuse, donation, and menu engineering from the National Restaurant Association
- Managing and Reducing Wastes— A guide for commercial buildings from the EPA
- Sustainability— Resources to help you operate in more environmentally friendly ways from the National Restaurant Association
Fact Sheets
- Behaviorally Informed Intervention Materials— Description of GSA pilot study on increasing voluntary contributions at congregate meal sites
- Congregate Meal Programs Value Proposition – Infographic from ACL
- Decision Tree C1 and C2 Funding — Classifying service delivery models under the OAA
- Nutrition Services Incentive Program (NSIP) — Definition of foods that can be purchased with NSIP allocations and resources to help ensure OAA alignment
- Understanding Participants’ Monetary Contributions — ACL issue brief on voluntary contributions at nutrition sites
Resources
- Nutrition Services of the Older Americans Act — Overview of congregate and home delivered nutrition