Power Up Your Congregate Program: 

A Welcoming Environment

Hosted Wednesday, February 8, 2023

by the Office of Nutrition and Health Promotion Programs, Administration for Community Living (ACL), 

and the National Council on Aging (NCOA)

Speakers: Stacy Dye, RDI Sightline; Peaches Hall, Director, Doris Griffin Senior Center; Bob 

Gurecki, Food Service Coordinator, SAGE Edie Windsor Center; Michael Beck, Chief Production 

Officer, Meals on Wheels Southwest Ohio & Northern Kentucky

Go to recording on NCOA website

Free registration/sign-in is required to access event materials.

Research Findings

Many congregate programs report higher numbers of female participants than male. Understanding 

why older males attend congregate meal programs is critical to building a sustainable program that 

serves older adults effectively. The following congregate meal findings were revealed in a recent 

telephone survey of over 600 men and women aged 60+ in Ohio and Kentucky:

• Males are significantly less likely to be aware of senior centers and senior center activities in their 

area than females.

• Word-of-mouth is the top source of awareness of meal programs for both men and women, 

followed by in-person visits to the senior center and actual participation. 

• Males are significantly less likely to attend a meal program in the future than females.

• A welcoming atmosphere and the quality and nutritional value of meals are the most important 

attributes of a meal program to both men and women.

• Primary social groups of older adults consist of friends, children, spouses, and neighbors. Men are 

significantly more likely to mention their spouse and co-workers/former co-workers, while women 

are significantly more likely to mention friends, children, and grandchildren.

• Men are more likely to mention they rely on their spouse, or even that they have “no one,” when 

they have concerns or worries, and women are much more likely to rely on friends or children for 

support.

Ways to Engage Men

• Meet men where they are, literally and figuratively. Find out where they are meeting and talk to 

them. Ask them what they want and how they feel. 

• Intentionally invite men to attend programs. Ideally, the invitation should come from another older 

man, but extending the invitation is what is most important.

• Give men the opportunity to give back. Enlist their support with promoting the program to other 

men. 

• Seek input from men on programs and services offered. Let them pick and choose when and how 

they want to participate.

Suggested Activities and Programs

• Use food trucks in non-traditional congregate meal locations where men are already gathering

(e.g., parks, recreational areas, hardware stores). 
• Offer restaurant and coffee shop congregate meal locations to use the existing organic networks of 

older men already meeting there. 

• Develop a marketing campaign to reach older men in partnership with local sports and talk radio.

• Host tailgate parties using a food truck.

• Consider partnering with programs like Men’s Shed to enable communication among men and 

promote a feeling of self-worth by helping others.

• Offer programming specifically for men.

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