Ask the seniors who use the Older Adult Meal Program at St. Luke’s why they keep coming back, and you’ll hear a number of motivations: convenience, healthy food, great value.

Retired Dietz & Watson salesman John Hardock is convinced it is all those reasons and more.

“I think we really enjoy the company,” he said. “Yes, the food is good and it’s nutritious, and I have no problem cooking for myself - I’ve been in the meat industry for years. But for me, coming here means I’m not eating at home, alone. We are sitting around a table, having supper, and having conversation. And it’s really something I look forward to.”

Most Thursday evenings at St. Luke’s Anderson Campus in Bethlehem Township, Hardock joins friends Herman Gross, a retired general manager for East Penn Eye Associates; James Lalley, a retired contract coordinator for the Department of Military and Veterans Affairs; and Lothar Gumberich, a former leader of management training programs for Penn State in Reading and in the Lehigh Valley.

The group of four gentlemen met when their late spouses were seeking medical treatment at St. Luke’s and continued when some of them joined a grief support group.

“We sort of met right here, and struck up conversations,” said Lally. “We were all going through the same thing at the time, so we decided to stay in touch and made a habit of coming by every Thursday.”

The foursome continued to meet during COVID, avoiding the sense of isolation that impacted so many.

Nutrition and conversation

The Older Adult Meal Program - which is open to the entire community - is offered from 4 to 6 p.m. weekdays at the Anderson and Warren campuses, and seven days a week at Monroe Campus.

The cost is $3.99 a person (for those 65 and over) and includes entrée, salad, 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 produces 70 varieties of 30 types of produce.

The senior meal program was introduced in 2017 with a goal of providing nutritious and affordable meals for seniors, while offering a way to maintain social contact and build relationships.

Cultivating that sense of connection is especially important for seniors who may be isolated or adjusting to the loss of a spouse or family member, according to Hayley Wusinich, a licensed social worker with St. Luke’s Senior Care Associates.

“These social relationships are essential to sustaining ideal physical, mental, emotional and cognitive functioning for seniors,” she said. “The effects of loneliness and isolation not only negatively impact mental and emotional wellbeing, but cognitive and physical functioning as well. Having an outlet to sit and converse with peers, such as with the Older Adult Meal Program, gives seniors the opportunity to have a stimulating face-to-face, real-time interaction with others, which they may not be getting in their home.”

To request an appointment with a senior specialist or to access senior support services, call the St. Luke’s Senior Care Help Line at 1-866-785-8537.