The RSF Foundation has a vision for the future: healthy aging and increased food security for vulnerable seniors in N. County San Diego. We are putting that vision into action by funding North County Senior Connections (NCSC). This program recognizes that healthy aging for vulnerable seniors depends upon access to healthy nutrition, meals, and socialization.
Our multi-year grant funds a healthy aging program for seniors that even a hipster can love — a food truck! With the “Thyme Together” food truck, NCSC effectively provides a mobile senior center. Since N. County San Diego covers a large area geographically and public transportation is inadequate, NCSC takes the senior center to the seniors. This program offers deeply discounted lunches to seniors followed by activities that inform, entertain and provide socialization for them.
The NCSC program, launched in mid-November 2014, currently serves the Vista and San Marcos communities. The food truck serves freshly prepared lunches to seniors at two mobile home parks and two faith centers Monday through Thursday each week. Seniors make their lunch selection from a full menu of nutritious options, and they pay $2.00 for lunch. The RSF Foundation grant subsidizes the cost of the meals. Calfresh, a supplemental nutrition assistance program, is accepted for payment, and help for seniors enrolling in Calfresh is offered onsite. See the complete schedule and locations of the program.
The RSF Foundation grant allowed the nonprofit, Dreams for Change, to purchase the food truck. Dreams for Change handles nutrition research, menu options, and food preparation. The RSF Foundation grant additionally promoted collaboration among nonprofits by funding staffing from Interfaith Community Services to arrange educational programs and social services for participating seniors.
We want many donors to join us in funding this innovative healthy aging program over the next two years. According to the San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG), the senior population in San Diego County is projected to increase about 130 percent between 2000 and 2030. The RSF Foundation has a vision to meet the needs of vulnerable seniors in this growing population. Please join us in putting that vision into action and show your support of healthy aging and increased food security for seniors in our community.
