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The Older Americans Act of 1965 was signed into law on July 14, 1965; it was created to address a serious health issue of America’s senior citizens: poor or inadequate nutrition.

One of the many programs created under the act was the Nutrition Programs which included: Congregate (dining rooms) and Home Delivered meals.

Both programs intended to increase the health, quality of life and extend the time in which a senior can remain independent and in their own home.

People For People took over the program on July 1 st , 2011. Prior to that date Yakima County was in charge of the Meals-On- Wheels program.

Follow-up studies on the effectiveness of the nutrition programs has shown that Meals-On- Wheels intervention extends the time a senior can stay in their home instead of being placed into a nursing home by at least 3 months. That follow-up also revealed two other major findings:

  • The health of the senior receiving meals through either program is better, they have fewer doctor visits and the cost of the program is offset by the savings to the system.
  • For the cost of 3 days institutionalization (hospital or nursing home) we can feed the senior for a year.

Our program serves healthy meals that meet 1/3 of the USDA requirements. All meals consist of:

  • 1 serving (3 oz) of meat, fish or poultry or equivalent
  • 2 servings (4 oz) of vegetables or fruit substitute
  • 1 serving (4 oz) of fruit or vegetable substitute
  • 2 servings (4 oz) of bread or alternate (pasta, rice, etc)
  • 1 tsp of fortified margarine or butter
  • 1 serving (8 oz) of lowfat milk (1%)

*There is no charge for the meals; however we do have a suggested donation of $2.50 per meal.

*Anyone over 60 qualifies for our program; dining rooms are an excellent way for seniors to socialize while eating nutritious meals, most centers offer other activities for example: bingo, exercise classes, pinochle, etc. Call the center directly for information about these activities.

*We have 6 dining rooms in Yakima County.

*We don’t service the Yakama Reservation (Call the Yakama Reservation Area Agency (509) 865-7164 if you live in that area)

*Requirements for the home delivery program are: the senior is unable to cook their own meal and have no one at home to cook a meal and the senior is homebound. Refer to the Program tab for more information.

*Please refer to our Frequently Asked Questions for additional information.