Healthy eating, fresh local produce, and meaningful social connections are all on the menu at Chelsea Senior Center (CSC), where a variety of programs help older adults stay active, engaged, and healthy.
One popular opportunity for seniors to access fresh, locally grown food is through the Senior Market Bucks program. Chelsea Senior Center partners with Chelsea Hospital to distribute Senior Market Bucks coupon booklets to Washtenaw County residents age 60 and older. There is no income requirement, and recipients do not need to be senior center members. This year, Senior Market Bucks will be distributed at CSC on Tuesday, June 16, from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., while supplies last.
The coupons can be used at the Chelsea Farmers Market, held Wednesdays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Saturdays from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. through October. Senior Market Bucks may be used to purchase Michigan-grown foods including fruits, vegetables, eggs, cheese, yogurt, meat, poultry, fish, and honey.
“Access to healthy food is an important part of healthy aging,” said CSC Executive Director Jennifer Smith. “We are proud to offer programs that not only provide nutritious meals and fresh produce, but also create opportunities for social connection, lifelong learning, and community involvement.”
That commitment to healthy aging and community engagement is especially visible in the Intergenerational Garden, dedicated in October 2021 in honor of former Executive Director Trinh Pifer, whose vision and leadership helped bring the project to life. The garden was designed to create opportunities for seniors to garden, teach children the joys of growing food, and provide a welcoming space where multiple generations can gather and connect.
Today, the garden is flourishing under the guidance of Master Gardener Allison Rullman, who serves as garden manager. Volunteers, led by Rullman, plant, tend, and harvest fresh produce, which is then available for donations at the farm stand in the lobby of Chelsea Senior Center. Donations help the garden program continue to grow.
“Because of the hoop house, we can provide fresh food as early as April all the way until November,” said Rullman. “It’s picked fresh and is all organic, so it has great flavor and nutritional value.”
Beyond stocking the farm stand, fresh produce from the Intergenerational Garden is used in meals at CSC. Through the Senior Nutrition Program, low-cost meals are available to Washtenaw County residents ages 60 and older. Seniors may dine on-site in the Senior Café at CSC every weekday at noon and enjoy fellowship with friends. For those who are home-bound or have difficulty preparing meals, home-delivered lunches are available through the Meals on Wheels program. Meals on Wheels offers both short- and long-term support for eligible seniors, with local volunteers providing a friendly daily check-in as well as a healthy meal.
Several students from Chelsea High School also contributed to the garden this spring by installing t-posts and cattle fencing to support tomato plants started earlier this year by friends and volunteers in the Ease the Day (ETD) adult day program at Chelsea Senior Center.
ETD participants additionally started cabbages, brussels sprouts, and peppers and created “fairy doors” and other decorations for the garden. ETD Program Manager Emily Nagaonkar shares that ETD participants “love to take garden walks throughout the spring and summer season to track the progress of the plants. I appreciate that ETD participants can enjoy the outdoors and have a way to contribute to the community garden space.”
Seniors looking to improve their health through fresh food, social connection, and community involvement can take advantage of the many opportunities available at Chelsea Senior Center. For more information about Senior Market Bucks, the Intergenerational Garden, or the Senior Nutrition Program, contact Chelsea Senior Center at 734-475-9242 or by email at [email protected].
114 North Main St Suite 10 Chelsea, MI 48118
