Milford Senior Center Honored for Innovative Older Adult Program

Milford, CT.– Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, older adults visited their local senior centers every day to connect with friends, learn something new, discover how to stay healthy, give back to their community, and more. Over the past year, these same senior centers have been tasked with also keeping their older members safe and helping them access food and supplies.

The National Council on Aging (NCOA) National Institute of Senior Centers (NISC) is honoring the outstanding work of senior centers during the pandemic with the 2021 Programs of Excellence Awards. Milford Senior Center is one of 15 programs receiving recognition for innovative, creative, and replicable programs for older adults.

The Milford Senior Center is receiving the award for the Mini-Lunch Program. The program’s aim is to provide nutritious and home-style meals for senior center members. Since the pandemic’s closure of the Center in mid-March 2020, the Mini-Lunch Program has served over 53,000 meals via curbside and delivery service to ensure that local seniors were receiving lunch throughout the pandemic.

The Programs of Excellence are chosen by a national committee of senior center professionals. This year, awards were given in eight categories:

• Community Development, Leadership, and Intergenerational
• Cultural
• Fundraising
• Health and Wellness
• Nutrition
• Technology
• Virtual Innovations
• Social Isolation

The Milford Senior Center is an important destination for older adults in Milford, CT. and we worked hard to keep our programs accessible to our members throughout the pandemic,” said Leonora Rodriguez, executive director. “We are honored to receive a Programs of Excellence Award, and hope that other senior centers across the country will be able to replicate Mini-Lunch Program to benefit their members.