Congregate meals
Meals eaten together at a center or site, funded under the Older Americans Act and not means-tested.
What it means
They must meet the Dietary Guidelines for Americans and the Dietary Reference Intakes, and are provided through an Area Agency on Aging.
Recipients are not means-tested. A meal counts toward a state's federal allocation only where the person was not means-tested and was offered the chance to make a voluntary contribution.
The program is as much about the room and the company as about the food, and a home-delivered meals provider may encourage participants to attend as they are able.
Why it matters
For a parent whose real problem is isolation rather than nutrition, this is a better answer than a meal left at the door.
Families who assume a parent earns too much to qualify are working from a rule that does not exist here.
When you are likely to meet it
- When a parent is eating alone and badly.
- When looking for something for a parent to do in the day.