Nourishing Neighbors: A Monthly Tradition Of Care
On one Thursday every month, a remarkable display of caring, kindness, and community takes place at Dayspring Villa Assisted Living. It’s called Nourishing Neighbors, an extraordinary initiative created by our partners at Duet Hospitality as part of their philanthropic efforts to provide nutrition for low-income elders. And for more than a year, it has helped ensure that all Dayspring residents have access to their own food in their own apartments.
After the lunch rush ends and the dining room is reset, Duet team members from across the region get busy setting up an attractive and plentiful display of food. Loaves of sliced bread are stacked next to packages of lunch meat and cheese. Bowls of ripe seasonal fruits – apples, plums, pears, tangerines, and avocadoes – are placed beside whole melons and containers of strawberries, raspberries, and blackberries.
Boxes of cereals are positioned next to half-gallons of milk to satisfy all tastes: whole milk, 2% milk, oat milk, and almond milk. High-protein healthy choice frozen meals are stacked next to high-fiber protein and granola bars. Tasty, comfort-food treats always make an appearance, too – ice cream, frozen pizzas, and sometimes even whole pies.
“We’re not just giving them a bunch of processed fillers, sugar, sodium. We’re actually giving them nourishment” notes Holly Sherry, Dayspring’s Director of Dining. “The fresh fruit. High protein. High fiber. And people take it! And then they get the little spoilers like pizza.”
Dayspring’s Executive Director, Anne Marie Gill, says that there is huge participation from residents, 90% of whom are low-income elders who rely on Medicaid to help pay for their care. “This really impacts the residents,” she notes. “Their monthly income can be as low as $30. This is a huge blessing to them!”
Meeting A Need That Was Already There
The idea for the program grew out of a specific community need observed by the dining team at Dayspring.
“They were trying to access this before we had this option” explains Clint Rasti, Duet’s Regional System Dietician. Residents were asking dining team members if they could have gallons of milk, or were bagging up extra cereal at breakfast to take back to their apartment. It got the team thinking if there was a different way to meet that need. As Clint explained, “If anything, it’s accessibility. We were like, why don’t we just do this? We’ll bring the food to them.”
In Assisted Living, residents have access to all three meals a day as well as snacks. But that doesn’t replace the security and comfort of having access to their own food in their own apartment. And keeping a stocked kitchenette is incredibly difficult when your leftover monthly income is so low.
More Than Groceries: Choice, Education, And Connection
It has become a deeply impactful and well-loved part of the month for residents. Residents line up patiently, carrying reusable grocery bags that community was able to purchase thanks to your kind gifts to the General Mission Fund. And as they wait for their turn, they can chat with one of Duet’s dieticians. Each month the dieticians offer information, education, and samples focusing on a different nutrition topic like hydration, fiber, protein, reading food labels, etc.
As Clint shares, “I think it really affords the opportunity to the residents to learn more if they want to, or at least interact with our dietician tables so that they can make maybe a different choice than they would have.”
The Freedom To Choose
Karin is one of the regular resident volunteers who helps her neighbors navigate the food tables. She has noticed that her neighbors especially seem to like picking out cereal and milk, sandwich fixings, and fruit. “I think they just like picking out the food themselves,” she observed. “A lot of them don’t go to the store. So this is like going to the store for them.”
Holly says “It’s nice because they know that we cater to their desires. So they can ask for a certain type of cereal, or oat milk or almond milk, and we will get it for them. And that’s probably not in their budget. If you think about it, those are expensive items on the shelf. Cereal, 4 or 5 or 6 dollars a box. Milk, 3 or 4 dollars.”
Allowing residents to access and choose foods that they like and can keep in their own apartment has been a blessing for residents and for the community. As Holly explains, “If we can do that for them, it goes a long way. And it helps with resident satisfaction too with the dining department, because it’s associated with dining.” Karin agrees, declaring “They really put out a nice spread. They really do right by us.”
Supporting Independence And Everyday Comfort
Cassie Vialpando, Dayspring’s Life Enrichment Coordinator, partners with Duet for the monthly program. She has seen a big increase in resident satisfaction, security, and autonomy since it started. “They love that they’re able to make food in their room or get snacks when they’re hungry,” she shares. “They love the fresh fruit and vegetables, that was a big hit when they first started this. Same with cereal and yogurt. A lot of them don’t like to get up for breakfast. If they can have a bowl of cereal in their room, they love that.”
A Meaningful Experience For The Duet Team, Too
Giving back and helping others also feels great! So it’s not a surprise that the Duet Team has also found joy through their Nourishing Neighbors program. “The Duet systems team coming in, all the Directors I’ve ever spoken to who have come and helped out with it have loved it,” says Clint. “They just love this offering and the ability to see these residents get excited about choosing these different options. It’s a fun, meaningful opportunity for engagement for them.”
Their efforts are deeply appreciated by the Dayspring community. “I am so grateful to Duet,” Anne Marie says. “It’s an awesome program. It brings the community together.”
When Community Partners Come Together
Incredible impact happens when partners like Duet, CLC, and caring supporters like you come together to protect the autonomy, respect, and dignity of older adults. Your kind gift to the General Mission Fund gives CLC flexibility to say yes to unbudgeted needs and opportunities that happen throughout the year, such as providing reusable shopping bags to Dayspring Villa. You can make a gift (and a difference) today with your donation.