Basics of Congregate
Congregate meal programs provide healthy meals served in group settings. They aim to keep older adults healthy and independent, offer opportunities for social engagement, and connect people with other supports and services. Explore strategies that increase engagement and ensure your program thrives.
- Nutrition Services of the Older Americans Act — Overview of nutrition services authorized by the Older Americans Act, including eligibility, purpose, definitions, standards, and outcomes (ACL, 2025)
- Congregate Meals: What’s Working in Communities Across the Country — Interview with the Montgomery County, Maryland Senior Nutrition Program (Nutrition and Aging Resource Center)
- Enhanced Training for Congregate Meal Staff — Brief highlighting training and resource needs for staff in congregate meal programs serving older adults
- Person-Centered Dining Choices — Document for identifying dining options that best support individual participant needs (Nutrition and Aging Resource Center, 2024)
- Identifying the Total Cost of a Meal — Summary brief for meal cost calculations for program operations (Nutrition and Aging Resource Center)
- Improving the Congregate Meal Dining Experience — Strategies to increase participation and satisfaction
- The Dining Experience — Congregate Meal Policy Myth Busters — Brief on common myths and the facts about meal policies to help improve congregate meal programs (Nutrition and Aging Resource Center)
- Kupuna Wellness Center Congregate Dining Program Handbook — Resource for congregate dining program participants (Lanakila Meals on Wheels, 2024)
- Activity Guides
- Social, Mental, Emotional Health Coloring Pages — Activity guide and resources to support wellbeing (Nutrition and Aging Resource Center)
- Car Show and Parade — Program guide to safely distanced community event (ACL)
- Crack the Code — Senior nutrition program word unscrambling game (ACL)
- Did You Know? Game — Group activity to encourage connections (ACL)
- Guided Imagery — Relaxation technique to address health and well-being (ACL)
- Holiday Inspiration Calendar — Calendar of nutrition and food-related holidays (Nutrition and Aging Resource Center)
- Nutritionary — Nutrition spin on the classic game Pictionary (ACL)
- Recipe Sharing — Group project with opportunity for cultural exchange (ACL)
- Senior BrushStrokes — Painting activity idea (Camden County, Georgia Senior Center)
- Text Challenge — Group-text health challenges to engage and socialize (ACL)
- Food Waste Reduction— Resources for better food sourcing, reuse, donation, and menu engineering (National Restaurant Association)
- Managing and Reducing Wastes— Guide for commercial buildings to enhance sustainability (Environmental Protection Agency, 2024)
- Sustainability— Resources to help you operate in more environmentally friendly ways (National Restaurant Association)
- Meaningful Connection and Better Health Through Congregate Meals — Facts about how the Senior Nutrition Program combats loneliness and social isolation (ACL)
- Behaviorally Informed Intervention Materials— Pilot study on increasing voluntary contributions at congregate meal sites (Office of Evaluation Sciences)
- Congregate Meal Programs Value Proposition — Infographic on meals, connection, and support for healthy aging (ACL)
- Nutrition Services Incentive Program (NSIP) — Definition of foods that can be purchased with NSIP allocations and resources to help ensure OAA alignment (Nutrition and Aging Resource Center)
- Understanding Participants’ Monetary Contributions — Issue brief on voluntary contributions at nutrition sites (ACL, 2020)
- The Benefits of Eating With Others — Graphic highlighting the positive impact of congregate meals (Nutrition and Aging Resource Center)
- Plating Tips for Your Congregate Program — Document on enhancing the dining experience by presenting attractive and appetizing plates (Nutrition and Aging Resource Center)
- Quick Tips: Congregate Meals — Information and resources related to common questions about OAA Title III-C1 Congregate Meals (Nutrition and Aging Resource Center, 2023)
- Quick Tips: Funding Options — Information and resources addressing common questions about funding for OAA Title III-C Nutrition Services (Nutrition and Aging Resource Center)
- Congregate Program Quality Review Toolkit — Set of quality-focused tools for local service providers to assess OAA-funded programs and plan enhancements (Nutrition and Aging Resource Center)
- Plate Waste Tool — Audit tool that calculates plate waste scores for evaluation (South Carolina Department on Aging)
- Help Your Local Meals On Wheels Program Ditch Disposables— Tools to help meal programs make the switch from disposable to reusable (Beyond Plastics)
- Determine Your Nutritional Health — Screening tool to help assess nutritional risk (The Nutrition Screening Initiative)
- Recipe for Success: Congregate (YouTube)— Bite-sized video with tips on growing and sustaining congregate meal programs (Nutrition and Aging Resource Center, 2024)