Supporting Senior
Nutritional Wellness
Since 2016, CenCal Health has maintained a longstanding partnership with the San Luis Obispo County nonprofit organization Meals That Connect to address the Social Determinants of Health associated with nutrition and healthy aging for local seniors. Annually, the health plan’s partnership with Meals That Connect supports nutritional security and social connections for approximately 10,000 clients a year across Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo counties, including CenCal Health members. To date, the health plan has provided Meals That Connect $2 million in funding, supporting its goal of supplying nearly 200,000 meals a year to seniors in need.
According to the nonprofit organization Feeding America, 1 in 14 seniors in the U.S. faced food insecurity in 2021. Meals That Connect strives to support this vulnerable population by providing free lunches via its senior nutrition program to residents aged 60 and older in San Luis Obispo County and, since July 2023, expanded to support the senior nutrition program of Santa Barbara County. The meals are served at congregate settings across the two counties and dispatched for home delivery to homebound seniors in San Luis Obispo County.
Photos courtesy of Meals That Connect