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St. Luke’s University Health Network is serving seniors in a different way – by serving them dinner.
Dozens of senior citizens turn out every weekday night to the cafeterias at 10 St. Luke’s campuses to take advantage of the Older Adult Meal Program.
“The food is delicious, but the main reason we come is the people,” said retired physician Ralph Shields of Bethlehem. “The friends. We have friends we get to see here all the time.”
Over at Geisinger St. Luke’s Hospital in Orwigsburg, Schuylkill County, 85-year-old Clem Utara from nearby Deer Lake goes 4-5 times a week depending on the menu, and gets there early to save seats for five friends so they can all sit together.
“The food is good,” he said. “The ambiance here, the people, the staff, it just feels nice. I look forward to it, and to seeing everyone.”
For $3.99, adults 65-and-over receive a nutritious and healthy meal that includes an entree, a soup or salad, a side dish, vegetable, dessert and a 12-ounce drink. All the meals are prepared fresh daily, and many of the ingredients are grown at the St. Luke’s Rodale Institute Organic Farm, a 14-acre area that grows more than 70 varieties of about 30 types of produce.
St. Luke’s began the Older Adult Meal Program in 2017, one component of a broader Senior Health Program committed to helping older adults stay as healthy and independent as long as possible.
“This initiative addresses many of the needs outlined in our 2025 Community Health Need Assessment comprehensively – from access, healthy fresh food, to building companionship for community development,” said Rajika E. Reed vice president of Community Health for St. Luke’s. “Along with the adults participating in the meal program, our partners in the community have been overwhelming positive about the benefits of this program, as it serves our senior population – a group frequently missed.”
Ian Russell, the general manager for Dietary Administration at the Anderson Campus, said they serve 60-100 Older Adult meals every day, averaging 63 meals per weekday over the last year.
The Warren Campus led the way by averaging 80 meals per weekday.
Hours vary a bit from campus to campus for the Older Adult meals, but they are served on weekdays Monday through Friday.
Many of the campuses also offer an expert speaker during the meals one night a month who speaks on physical or mental health topics.
