About Meals that
Connect
More healthy food, social interactions, and independence for seniors in the SLO Community.
Age 60 -75
Age 75 - 84
Age 85+
1963
President Kennedy spearheaded the Older Americans Act with members of the National Council of Senior Citizens. The month of May was designated as "Senior Citizens Month," the prelude to "Older Americans Month."
1965
Older Americans Act was signed into law on July 14, 1965. It established the Administration on Aging within the Department of Health, Education and Welfare, and called for the creation of State Units on Aging.
1974
Government funding, designated to provide nutrition for senior citizens, first became available. State and County designated entities were established to manage this programming. This was the birth of the Area Agency on Aging.
1974
As a result of the Older Americans Act, California began receiving funding for senior nutrition programs. In San Luis Obispo, the Area Agency on Aging (AAA) managed the program until 1981.
1981
The Economic Opportunity Commission (EOC), now CAPSLO, took over the San Luis Obispo Senior Nutrition Program. The EOC struggled to make the program financially sustainable for 10 years before handing it back over to the AAA
1991
The SLO Senior Nutrition Program (SNP) incorporated as a non-governmental entity, incorporated as a charitable organization with a board of directors and its own small staff. The organization continued to struggle financially for another 15 years.
2006
Elias Nimeh, previous owner of the restaurant Tortilla Flats, took over the nonprofit. He was able to sharpen costs, achieve augmented funding opportunities, and make the program grow and thrive to the level it is today.
2016
October, 2016, Verdin Marketing company rebranded SNP as Meals That Connect with their 24-hour makeover donation. The program continues strongly today - serving up to 206,500 meals during the 2021 COVID pandemic. The program has been helped mightily by a generous annual sponsorship from CENCAL Health.
President Kennedy spearheaded the Older Americans Act with members of the National Council of Senior Citizens. The month of May was designated as "Senior Citizens Month," the prelude to "Older Americans Month."
Older Americans Act was signed into law on July 14, 1965. It established the Administration on Aging within the Department of Health, Education and Welfare, and called for the creation of State Units on Aging.
Government funding, designated to provide nutrition for senior citizens, first became available. State and County designated entities were established to manage this programming. This was the birth of the Area Agency on Aging.
As a result of the Older Americans Act, California began receiving funding for senior nutrition programs. In San Luis Obispo, the Area Agency on Aging (AAA) managed the program until 1981.
The Economic Opportunity Commission (EOC), now CAPSLO, took over the San Luis Obispo Senior Nutrition Program. The EOC struggled to make the program financially sustainable for 10 years before handing it back over to the AAA
The SLO Senior Nutrition Program (SNP) incorporated as a non-governmental entity, incorporated as a charitable organization with a board of directors and its own small staff. The organization continued to struggle financially for another 15 years.
Elias Nimeh, previous owner of the restaurant Tortilla Flats, took over the nonprofit. He was able to sharpen costs, achieve augmented funding opportunities, and make the program grow and thrive to the level it is today.
October, 2016, Verdin Marketing company rebranded SNP as Meals That Connect with their 24-hour makeover donation. The program continues strongly today - serving up to 206,500 meals during the 2021 COVID pandemic. The program has been helped mightily by a generous annual sponsorship from CENCAL Health.
Frequently Asked Questions
Got a question? Get your answer.
It is wonderful to have meal client referrals, however, we do need to speak to the client when conducting our intake process. We are happy to provide you with the information you need to help get them on the program but we will eventually need to speak directly with the senior client.
No. While our central kitchen is located in a county building and we receive some grant support from the county, we are not part of the county. We are an independently run, charitable, nonprofit organization.
No. We are not Meals on Wheels or any other name. We are the senior nutrition program of SLO County, doing business as Meals That Connect. Meals on Wheels are not federally funded and do not follow the same nutritional and eligibility guidelines that we follow.
Yes. We receive some funding from the federal government, which also sets eligibility and nutritional guidelines. This funding only covers about 1/3 of our expenses. Other funding is from SLO county, cities, other grants and business. We conduct ongoing community fundraising.
We provide a midday meal, Monday through Friday. Frozen meals are available for weekends, holidays and for persons to pick up that live outside of our delivery area.
To be eligible for dining room meals, you only need to be 60 years old. Registration and meal reservations are a required part of start-up.
Yes. Our site managers work with a variety of volunteer schedules to fulfill the delivery of all of their routes. They will work with you!
No. For food safety reasons, we never leave food outside unless you have a small refrigerator we can put the meal into.
To be eligible for home delivery you must have a medical qualification that makes you homebound. A site manager will conduct an onsite intake interview with you to verify a need for home delivery.
Yes but we give clients an opportunity to donate for their meals if they wish. The suggested donation is $3 per meal. Donations are purely voluntary, anonymous, and confidential.
Yes. We provide meals for a variety of other programs at the full meal price.
