A story series by Mary Jessup
Eighty-nine-year-old Catherine has been coming to the Downtown Senior Center several times a week for lunch for almost 24 years. The O’Farrell Street site is one of 19 senior centers across the city where Project Open Hand provides warm, nutritious midday meals to seniors every day.
Catherine’s favorite meals from Project Open Hand are fish dishes; she especially likes fish with curry sauce.
At the young age of 26, Catherine moved from Racine, Wisconsin to San Francisco. As the youngest of four children, she survives all her siblings and lives alone in San Francisco. She comes to the Downtown Senior Center for the healthy meals, and to socialize with friends and neighbors.
Catherine’s eyes twinkle when she talks about baseball. She loves the baseball teams in the Bay Area. Smiling, she says, “I’ve had season tickets to both the Oakland A’s (Oakland Athletics) and the San Francisco Giants. Now I watch the games on TV.” She also likes to visit art museums in the City.
Catherine’s nieces and nephews sometimes come from Wisconsin to visit her in San Francisco. “Several of the young people are coming in May,” says Catherine, beaming. “I think – and hope – that they’re secretly planning a surprise party for me when they come in May. That’s when I have my birthday, and I’ll be 90 years old.”
Do you know a senior (age 60+) who could use a warm meal and good company? Visit our senior lunch program webpage to learn more about our program and find a location in your neighborhood.
Read more stories by Mary Jessup in our “Meals with Love for Seniors” series: