Successful Food Service

I’d find the background legislation that tells me all about the “Older Americans Act Nutrition Program”.  I found references to the fact that rural meals programs may be less than 5 days a week upon an admin ruling by an Assistant Secretary. What it didn’t say is how few meals can be provided per week… something I’ll be keeping a close eye on, as we’re very rural.

I also found the directive that sets out the nutrition standards. Each meal provided must contain 1/3 of the Daily Nutrition Requirements as set forth in the Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2005. It looks like we’re well iside the regulations as we’re allowed 600 to 700 calories per meal. We’ll need to provide 2/3 cup of fruit, 2/3 cup vegetable, 2.6 oz from the Grain Group (bread, potatoes, rice, pasta), 2 oz meat (with at least 1 or 2 meals containing nuts, seeds or beans), 1 cup milk product (could be a cheese instead of milk). Additionally, they’d prefer we stay fairly low fat, and only provide a little additional sugary items.

This Dietary Guide is up for review and revision in 2010. Beyond the insistence of five servings daily of fruits and vegetables, I’ve been able to find precious little real direction.

My own intuition tells me that our meals should be free of trans-fats, and that the type of fats we use should be monosaturated (olive oil) or poly-unsaturated (canola, safflower), and that butter is better than margarine where we use it in cooking. We’ll be serving “Promise” as the preferred table spread.

One thing I’ve been unable to find is a direct requirement for a beverage. I find references to juices in place of fruits, and cheese in place of milk. We may very well take advantage of those changes, as many older people are “lactose intolerant”.  The cost/ease of serving an alternative lactose-free product makes it quite a challenge, and I’m not real sure of the acceptance level by our seniors.

According to all I’ve found out from as many sources as possible, here’s the basic makeup of the meals we’ll serve.

Protein is to be at least 3 oz (we’ll do 4 oz whenever possible).

We have to provide about 3/4 cup starch (typically potato, pasta, or rice). The bread/biscuit counts for about 1/4 cup.

The seniors get 1/2 cup each of a vegetable, and a fruit/dessert.

Generally we also will provide about 1/2 cup of salad.

When it comes to condiments, typically we’ll provide 1/2 tbsp margarine (Promise), and 1 oz of salad dressing if required.

Seniors also get their choice of 1/2 pt 2% milk or juice.

I don’t worry too much about calories, as senior citizens often make these meals last for a couple of meals.

Our biggest challenge is to prepare a meal that looks good (has awesome eye appeal), and that stands up to being transported by the Meals On Wheels truck. For us, that means it can be as long as two hours after cooking/plating until the meal is delivered.

Why on earth would I even consider going back to work, even for just 3 days a week?

Well, first there’s the opportunity to serve a growing population who needs the services offered by the Senior Center. That fits with my “Life Purpose”. God put me on this earth to serve others.

Secondly, the income is relatively stable and with three of us sharing the duties (and the profits) both Bev and I won’t earn more than we’re allowed by either SS or Medicare.

With that in mind, here are the particulars that are so intriguing.

This Senior Center serves parts of two counties. Because we are pretty remote, in terms of where the major poulations are in Utah, we’re kind of left to serve ourselves as best we can. I live in Iron County, and the Senior Center is in Enterprise (Washington County).

Located about 55 miles from Cedar City and 40 miles from St. George, this area has been growing up for the past several years. With gas well over $4.00 a gallon, things could all change rapidly as there is little employment in this valley. I seriously expect retirees to remain here, though, rather than relocating or even travelling.

At this time, this particular Senior Center provides Meals-On-Wheels as about 80% of the total meals provided. The remaining 20% are consumed by senior citizens, who come to the center on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays.

There is a local senior “dial a ride” service that picks up and returns senior citizens who would rather not drive. That is a very nice service during the winter, as we often have snow and ice on the roads.