There is an active Senior Community Centre in our area. They offer simple full course home cooked hot meals at lunchtime, Monday to Friday at a very reasonable cost, throughout most of the year. During the Christmas season there is also available a Turkey dinner with all the fixings at a slightly higher price but well worth it IMO. It's a cheaper alternative to eating out and also a nice way to get together with friends for a good meal. The centre has many other activities and personal interest courses, all at a nominal cost or in some cases free. Apparently the centre is subsidized by the city and hopefully it will continue to operate on behalf of seniors as long as possible.
I am considering a move to another town simply because of the active centre for seniors....and they do stress Active Lifestyle. I could not believe the hub of activity on my first visit and all the smiling faces including mine and hubby's face and he rarely smiles. He was drooling over the workshop area, every small hand power tool to the big boys tools. You can make something for yourself or make something to contribute to be sold to support the centre. They had dance classes, belly dance included....no hubby you cannot join that. They had card making, again going back to the centre's coffers, quilting, foot care, dietician, the scope of services is second to none. The cafeteria was volunteer and a good buy for when you do not feel like cooking or you could get take out. The cost is $35 a year and $2 each time you go and in that $2 fee a free cup of coffee is included to enjoy with others in the cafeteria.
I see you're in Canada @Ann George so maybe they're different there. Ive looked at the one here and it's nothing great which is too bad.
We have a Senior’s Center here, too, and it does about the same things as you mention, @Ann George . They charge for the meal, and you have to sign up ahead of time so the cooks know how much food to make, but the charge is not a lot. There is an exercise area, a library/book-exchange room, and they also have kind of a central area for just visiting. They have classes for different crafts, and even go on trips, which are way out of my budget. Some evenings they have popcorn and movies, and I think that is free. I tried going there when we first moved here, but the parking lot is always so packed full that sometimes there is no place to park, or it is way out in the back of the parking lot. You must have to be there way before they open to find a place to park. I do think that it is a great idea, and a way for people to have food and fellowship together.
This is mine.... https://www.ci.clovis.ca.us/Departments-Services/Senior-Services I'm closer to Clovis than the one in Fresno which is in an area I wouldn't feel comfortable. I did check it out with my ex about 9 yrs ago and maybe it's changed. I wouldn't eat the food though because it sounded like my HS cafeteria menu. I'm picky with what I eat and it's my one luxury I allow myself so my food is usually on the expensive side. Maybe after the holidays I'll check it out and except for eating there, join a class or two.
We have Senior Centers here too but I don't think they serve meals. I would have to check further into this to see if this is just not advertised. They do offer all kinds of classes, etc. and I have thought about taking my Honey and checking things out over there. But it's on the other side of town in an area where you would have to go through alot of traffic congestion to get there...and that is not something I really want to deal with right now. My Aunt and Uncle lived not to far from the Senior Center though and when they both retired they enjoyed going and taking dancing classes and any other things offered that they were interested in.
I'm really going to check it out again...after the holidays. Ive been meaning to for awhile but forget and now this post has reminded me. At least I can try the exercise and maybe the painting...don't know how my back will do dancing but that's probably where I'd meet a fella. ....but that's at night and I don't do nighttime by myself and I'd have to put make up on and onand on with excuses, lol.
We formerly lived in a much smaller community with a large senior population. They didn't have a dedicated Senior's centre but instead operated out of a large old downtown church. For such a small town there was quite a large number of courses available for the seniors. Some of the programs (esp. exercise) were so popular that you had to line up/sign up early because otherwise you would miss out as they were in such demand. What that centre didn't offer however was regular home cooked meals so I guess that is why we appreciate that option at the one here. I'm also hoping to sign up for a course in the New Year to learn a thing or two and help escape the winter blahs LOL.
Another place where you can do crafts and have fun would be a craft store, like Michaels or Hobby Lobby. Usually they have some kind of classes going, and the class is free except for buying the materials. I think that Michaels has a sign-up area in their store here, and probably also has information on line about the classes they will be having. We do not live close enough to either one for it to be practical for me to take a class there, but if someone has one nearby, it might be a lot of fun to meet people and learn new crafts.
Oh I see what you mean about the menu CC...it's like a homeless shelter menu..and I don't mean that in a rude way, but it's a very basic..keep you alive type of menu, which I'm sure many seniors are very grateful for, but if you're not used to hot dogs or cheese sandwiches for dinner.. etc... then you wouldn't enjoy it...but certainly if it's free many people will take full advantage of it... I don't think we have anything like that around here at all..maybe in London...
I haven't been in one as a senior, but I have seen several of them. Some are sad little affairs with sandwiches or TV-dinner type meals and seniors sitting around playing cards or bingo, which might actually not be so sad if it gets someone out in the public and provides a meal that they don't have to buy themselves. Others that I've seen offer far more, even so far as scheduling tours to different places. It all depends on funding, I suppose.
Yep, they are all different. I'm a food snob so the one by me wouldn't do for meals for me but if it's even half a** decent I'm going to give it a try...anythings better than sitting on my butt at home.