No matter what your age, Friday at noon is lunchtime.
At John Muir Elementary School, students smile and laugh as they scramble for seats at the lunch table. Their 5th grade teacher Leslie Grant is nearby, considering as she often does the skills and resources her students will need to be successful in middle school in just a few short months.
Across the street and down the hill at the LCEC, senior citizens chat as they gather for “senior meal.” With support from the West Madison Senior Coalition and Dane County, the Dane County Senior Dining Program offers a low-cost lunch with cultural and informative programming for senior citizens every Friday at the LCEC.
Then Ms. Grant learns about the senior meal program. Here’s just the opportunity she’s been looking for to show her students that the LCEC is a community hub for them and anyone else to enjoy during all phases of life.
Today Ms. Grant and her class attend senior meal once a month to volunteer and build community. Many of the students and seniors have formed special bonds and look forward to seeing one another. When asked what they like best about the partnership, seniors and students both say they enjoy the opportunity to connect and that it is fun to get to know new people.