IMPERIAL VALLEY — “For me, it’s a blessing.”
That’s how Edelmira Zamudio, 85, describes the home-delivered meals that she receives on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays through Catholic Charities Diocese of San Diego’s Senior Nutrition Program.
“Every meal they bring me — 100% delicious,” she said.
Zamudio, who lives in a rented room in her hometown of Calexico, doesn’t have any family members nearby.
“They’re already in Heaven,” she said. “I’m the only one here now in this Earth.”
Zamudio, who served as a volunteer for many years through Catholic Charities’ Foster Grandparent Program, now receives invaluable assistance from the very nonprofit that she once supported.
She said that she and others in similar situations depend on the Senior Nutrition Program, and it would be “very hard and very sad” were the program not available.
Through the program, eligible senior citizens in the Imperial Valley can sign up to receive home-delivered meals or to reserve a seat at one of the nine congregate dining sites throughout Imperial County.
The program manager, Apolinar Salazar, acknowledged that the home-delivered meal and congregate dining programs are a godsend for seniors, who must be at least 60 years old, unable to prepare meals for themselves and without a caretaker available to assume that responsibility.
The two meal programs are offered through the California Department of Aging and managed in Imperial County by Catholic Charities, with funding from the Imperial County Area Agency on Aging.
To give a sense of the project’s scale, Salazar shared that the Senior Nutrition Program served 9,713 meals in the month of April alone. This included 5,768 home-delivered meals and 3,945 meals served at congregate dining sites.
These meals aren’t slapdash affairs either.
Salazar noted that, through the Imperial County Area Agency on Aging, Catholic Charities contracts with a dietician to approve the nutritional content of each meal.
And clients are unlikely to be bored by the menu.
“We ensure that it’s not repetitive,” said Salazar, who explained that one day’s meal might be a flavorful chile relleno, and the next might be a sumptuous chicken Alfredo or a chicken cordon bleu.
Home-delivered meals might be provided two, three or as frequently as five days a week.
Salazar said that the program has enabled seniors, some of whom might have mild dementia and be inclined to forget to eat regularly, to continue living at home instead of moving into an assisted living facility.
Catholic Charities staffers begin their meal preparation around 5 a.m. The packaged meals are delivered between 9:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m.
Salazar explained that Catholic Charities’ drivers do more than drop off meals. They also provide invaluable human interaction and perform wellness checks.
“We have seniors that look forward to the visit of the driver,” he said, “because that’s going to be the only person that they’re going to see probably (during) the day or the week, especially (in) the remote areas of Imperial County.”
The drivers are mandated reporters for Adult Protective Services and, on more than one occasion, they have provided potentially life-saving intervention. For example, Salazar said that there have been times when drivers have requested ambulances for the meal clients.
The same drivers also deliver the meals to the congregate dining sites.
For seniors, the appeal of congregate dining is that it represents “a way to meet new people (and) socialize,” explained Salazar. Along with a meal, participants might also enjoy fun activities, like bingo games or presentations, and live music.
Salazar said that the congregate dining program observes holidays, such as Halloween, when the seniors are invited to attend in costumes.
Zamudio participated in the congregate dining program prior to 2020. After the COVID-19 pandemic and personal health challenges, she began receiving home-delivered meals instead.
In some locations, Salazar said, free transportation to and from the dining sites is provided for seniors who otherwise would be unable to attend.
These sites are typically open from 10 a.m. until around 1 p.m., with meals served between 11:30 a.m. and noon, said Salazar. Of the nine sites, four of them offer meals from Monday through Friday, but others in more remote areas of Imperial County might only serve meals between one and four days a week.
Salazar said that many seniors have told him that the congregate dining program is “the closest thing” to eating out at a restaurant, something that has become unaffordable for many of them in recent years.
The congregate dining sites also help seniors to save on their electricity bills, said Salazar. He noted how, especially in the hotter summer months, seniors will arrive early, taking advantage of the air-conditioning.
There is no cost to participate in either the home-delivered or congregate dining programs, but there is a suggested donation.
For the home-delivered meal clients, a donation envelope is sent out with the newsletter and menu schedule, said Salazar. At the congregate dining sites, it is a requirement of the California Department of Aging that there be a donation box at the entrance.
“If they’re able to donate, they’ll donate,” said Salazar. “And if they’re not, nobody’s going to call them or ask for a donation.”
Zamudio has high praise not only for the quality of the meals, but for the Catholic Charities staffers who prepare and deliver them.
“What can I say? A hundred percent for the meals and a hundred percent for all my little sweethearts.”
For more information about Catholic Charities and its programs, visit ccdsd.org.
