Friends who gather on weekdays at a community center in South Chicago Heights to play bingo and eat lunch together offer two important lessons about health and happiness as we get older.
First, socializing with others in a community is essential to live a meaningful life. Second, nutritious meals are key to good physical and mental health.
“There are a lot of seniors that don’t have the communication that we do,” Connie Lundin, 72, of Steger, said of her friends.
Isolation is bad for your health, as many people learned during the pandemic. Loneliness poses health risks as deadly as smoking 15 cigarettes per day, the U.S. Surgeon General said Tuesday in declaring the latest health epidemic.
“The more isolated a senior is the more likely they are to become victims of scams,” said Linda Reiter, who coordinates volunteers for the Community Nutrition Network and Senior Services Association, a nonprofit agency serving Cook, Will and other counties.
The agency serves community meals on weekdays at various locations throughout the Southland, including Dolton, Hometown, Lemont, Phoenix and South Chicago Heights. Other operations serve Bloom, Calumet, Frankfort, Lockport and New Lenox townships.
The programs also serve families, military veterans, people experiencing homelessness and others. The organization is affiliated with Meals on Wheels of Northern Illinois and delivers nutritious food to people who are homebound.
The work is more important in light of higher grocery prices due to inflation and the federal government ending Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits that were expanded during the pandemic.
“Our focus is on serving senior citizens,” Reiter said. “But we’re seeing a lot of young families coming out, and all age groups. It’s a very diverse group of people we’re seeing here.”
In addition to serving meals, Community Nutrition Network and Meals on Wheels are working with Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois to distribute fresh produce at various locations throughout the region over the next several weeks.
Lundin and others appreciate the help. Lundin’s friend, Maria Molina, 73, of Steger, and many others brought reusable bags to a produce distribution event Thursday at the South Chicago Heights Senior Citizen Center, 3140 Enterprise Park Ave.
“We know how to work the program,” Molina said as they sat at a picnic table at the front of the line. A scheduling issue delayed delivery of Thursday’s produce. A similar event a couple weeks ago drew about 300 people, Reiter said.
Lundin, Molina and others were unfazed by the delay. They chatted about families, activities, health and other topics. They had moved outside to where the produce was to be distributed after sharing lunch around a table indoors.
A lunch of tuna salad, vegetable soup, cottage cheese, peaches and milk was served after bingo. A supervisor asks each diner attending for a donation, though no one is refused a meal for inability to pay.
“I like the food,” said Shirley Rowley, 88, of Steger. “I like socializing.”
Rosemary Ephgrave, 78, said she drove from her home at Centennial Village Senior Apartments in Steger. Every bit helps as prices increase, Ephgrave said. Her rent is about to increase to $875 per month, she said, and it was $575 a month when she moved in five or six years ago.
Produce given to senior citizens and others may vary but typically includes such items as pepper, onions, apples, avocados, lettuce and more, Community Nutrition Network said in a news release. Lundin and others said they got pineapple and cantaloupe a couple weeks ago.
Fresh food is important for good health. Recent studies have linked consumption of processed foods to depression and other mental health issues. Numerous scientific journals and other media have reported on the studies, including a report Thursday by The New York Times.
“Eating packaged foods like cereal and frozen meals has been associated with anxiety, depression and cognitive decline,” according to The Times. “Roughly 60 percent of the calories in the average American diet come from highly processed foods.”
Thursday’s event in South Chicago Heights made clear how the socialization aspect of sharing meals together carried just as much importance as the nutrition value of the food. Friends joked and laughed. Some consoled others who had experienced loss. People visibly supported others and showed they care about one another.
Blue Cross Blue Shield plans to distribute $2 million worth of fresh produce by the end of June. Organizers are due back in South Chicago Heights on June 1, and at Community Nutrition Network’s community cafe, 650 Phoenix Center Drive, Phoenix, on May 25 and June 15.
Fresh produce distribution events are planned for May 9 and June 13 at the Fairmount Community Center, 525 Barry Ave., Lockport; and May 16 and June 20 at Guy A. Seil Senior Apartments, 1090 S. Cedar Road, New Lenox.
Community Nutrition Network and Senior Services Association had a $5.3 annual budget in 2020, according to its most recent available annual report. Volunteers donated more than 45,000 hours and served 6,052 older adults and people with disabilities.
Of the seniors served that year, 2,882 were delivered meals at home and 3,170 were served in communal dining rooms, according to the annual report.
Getting out of the house to share meals and participate in activities keeps people like Lundin happy and healthy.
“We don’t sit around in rocking chairs,” she said of her group of friends.
Ted Slowik is a columnist for the Daily Southtown.
