COMMUNITY NEWS
Great Plates Delivered For Older Adults & Restaurateurs
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By June Smith
n April 24, Gov. Gavin Newsom announced the launch of a first-inthe-nation meal delivery service called “Great Plates Delivered” for California’s older adults. Santa Cruz County began the program on Memorial Day weekend and has since delivered thousands of meals. Great Plates Delivered serves two purposes: To help seniors and adults at high risk from COVID-19 to stay at home by receiving three nutritious meals a day, and to provide essential economic stimulus to local businesses struggling to survive. Vendors must meet certain standards. Nutritional requirements for lunch and dinner must offer a piece of fresh fruit or vegetable in each dish, be low in sodium, and contain no sugary drinks. A Santa Cruz County committee first chose four local restaurants and one caterer
— The Back Nine, Johnny’s Harborside, Roaring Camp, Pearl of the Ocean, and Swing Time Catering — to prepare the meals. Other providers have been added, including Collectivo Felix and Teen Kitchen Project. After learning about the program, I applied and was teamed up to receive meals from Team Kitchen Project. TKP’s Executive Director Angela Farley is grateful to be able to serve local seniors through the Great Plates Program, offering hearthealthy and diabetes-friendly medically tailored meals to local seniors who qualify. My first delivery included soup, a roasted vegetable salad with Feta cheese, balsamic vinaigrette, plus three more entrees. The meals come with a fact sheet outlining the ingredients included and nutritional data. Farley says, “TKP brings young people into the kitchen to learn to cook
8 / February 2021 / Scotts Valley Times www.tpgonlinedaily.com
delicious and nourishing food. The meals are delivered free of charge to individuals and families who are in crisis due to a lifethreatening illness or those now observing the Stay at Home orders. We have an interview process that includes committing to adhere to Health Officer recommendations in and out of the kitchen. We have a stable group of youth with our team of adult chefs who work four days a week preparing meals. Work stations are at least six feet apart with no more than eight total people in our large kitchen at a time.” Their organic suppliers are Smart Chicken, Mary’s Chicken, and major funder Lakeside Organic Garden, who because of their monetary and in-kind donations, Teen Kitchen Project has been able to scale up dramatically to serve those suffering from COVID-19. A social worker from Dominican
Photo Credit: June Smith
My first meal (Cabbage and Leek Gratin).
Home Health applied to Great Plates for local author and film critic Lisa Jensen when she learning that cooking and cleaning was often difficult for her due to multiple sclerosis. “Great Plates” page 9
