1 

INNOVATIONS IN NUTRITION PROGRAMS AND SERVICES (INNU) 

REPLICATION TOOLKIT

Replication Model B: Iowa Department on Aging, Encore Café

Also referred to as “Café Toolkit”

How to Use This Toolkit

Please begin by reviewing the https://www.grants.gov/ posting for HHS-2022-ACL-AOAINNU-0040, which outlines requirements for ALL Replication projects. The information 

contained in this replication toolkit provides specific information and requirements 

regarding Replication Model B. 

This Replication Model Toolkit outlines the required elements within a Replication 

Project B application for HHS-2022-ACL-AOA-INNU-0040 Replication Grants. 

The toolkit specifies proposed application:

• Required elements. 

• Components which may or should be customized. 

• Areas where flexible approaches are permitted. 

Successful applications will outline a proposed project that includes all required 

elements while also demonstrating that customized and flexible items are planned.

If funded, your project team will receive regular technical assistance from the National 

Resource Center on Nutrition and Aging as well as consultation with members of the 

original grant’s project team, as feasible.

All surveys/forms and other materials are intended to be customized by the grantee, 

and the grantee should review the materials thoroughly to assure the use of customized

information including dates, contact names, etc. 

If your grant proposal involves any programmatic, policy, organizational, or financial 

system changes, it is your responsibility to make sure the changes are acceptable and 

compatible with your state/local policies and requirements.

Summary of the Project

To replicate this project, applications must propose the development of a café model for 

congregate nutrition site(s) within one or more localities or Area Agencies on Aging 

(AAA) and/or statewide in alignment with the materials developed by the Iowa 

Department on Aging’s 2017 Innovations in Nutrition Services and Programs grant. 

Products include a Café Toolkit, as well as policies and procedures. 

The café concept was designed to address declining congregate meal attendance and 

encourage older adults to participate. In particular, the project aimed to attract the 

younger subpopulation of older adults called “Baby Boomers.” 
2 

This unique and successful project created training and toolkit materials designed 

specifically for AAAs to help them identify what changes and innovations could play an 

important role in supporting community-based older adults, especially the younger older 

adults (Baby Boomers) to participate more often in congregate meal programs. 

The Cafe Toolkit includes:

• Sample initial participant’s survey questions and data collection processes to 

collect information from current and prospective participants. 

• Sample request for quote to identify food vendors for café sites. 

• Sample memorandum of understanding between the organization and café sites. 

• Volunteer training materials – volunteers acted as program ambassadors and 

offered referrals to additional programs and services. 

• Senior dining site policies and procedures – outline of expectations, procedures, 

and resources for the operation of café sites. 

• Participant nutritional risk survey. 

• Participant satisfaction survey. 

• A volunteer orientation was held to introduce the cafes, new services, and how 

the volunteers would play a key role.

The results of the original Encore Café project:

The project impacted many older Iowans through the grant cycle by increasing food 

access for at-risk older adults, increasing access to health education, and improving 

community resources for older adults by opening four congregate meal site locations 

with innovative programming. 

• Across four pilot sites there was a 66% increase in meals served after the first

year and a 208% increase in meals served by year three, compared to 

participation pre-project.

• Innovations added to traditional congregate site dining included: 

o Buffet-style service. 

o Salad bar with featured daily salad. 

o Poured or served beverages. 

o Volunteer program ambassadors who assisted with meal service while 

also connecting participants with other services. 

o Nutrition education based on initial participant survey results. 

o Choice of entrées. 

o Special meals (celebrating holiday, seasonal, farm-to-table, etc.). 

o Food boxes/bags of fresh produce for meal participants. 

o Enhanced ambiance (character and atmosphere of a place). 

o Opportunity to participate in activities before, during, and after the meal. 

o Ethnic or cultural meals/sides/foods. 

o Foods for health conditions.
3 

o Food made to order. 

o Times for meals- breakfast/dinner/weekends/all day. 

o Picnic style meal. 

o Partnerships for creative marketing and advocacy. 

o Creative name and branding. 
4 

Replication Requirements, Anticipated Customization, and Flexibilities

Table: Replication Model B Requirements, Customization, and Flexibilities* 

Category Grant 

Requirements

(Elements that 

must be included)

Required 

Customization 

(Elements that must 

be included and 

adjusted to project)

Project Flexibilities

(Optional elements; 

not exclusive)

Application Section

(Bolded sections are 

required; others are 

recommended)

Population 

Served

• 60 and over

• Targeted 

populations

• Specific targeted 

population 

• Food insecurity

• Chronic disease

• Abstract

• Problem 

Statement

• Approach

Service 

Delivery 

Older Americans 

Act Congregate 

Nutrition 

Program 

N/A N/A • Approach

Partnerships • Older 

Americans 

Act 

programs

• Nutrition 

providers

N/A N/A • Abstract

• Approach

Activities

and Services 

• Partners 

provide 

meals and 

services at 

selected 

sites

• Volunteers 

to serve as 

program 

ambassadors 

during 

mealtimes

• At least three

new 

enhancements

to meal program

• Initial Participant 

survey

• Nutritional Risk 

Survey

• Nutrition 

education 

• Other wellness 

education

• Frequency of 

surveys

• Site visits

• Presentations

• Nutrition 

education

• Other wellness 

education

• Culinary training 

or cooking 

demonstrations

• Approach

Evaluation • Incorporate 

screening of 

participants’ 

nutrition, 

socialization, 

and 

health/wellbeing status

• Nutrition 

Risk Survey

• Planned 

evaluation 

process

• Quality 

assurance 

• Satisfaction 

Survey

• Number and 

percent of total 

new participants 

• Frequency and 

method of data 

collection

• Demographics of 

participants

• Outcomes and 

evaluation
5 

Category Grant 

Requirements

(Elements that 

must be included)

Required 

Customization 

(Elements that must 

be included and 

adjusted to project)

Project Flexibilities

(Optional elements; 

not exclusive)

Application Section

(Bolded sections are 

required; others are 

recommended)

Outcomes • Impact on 

attendance

• Change in 

donations 

received

• Change in 

satisfaction

• Number and 

type of new 

meal site 

offerings 

Dissemination

(webinars, 

conference sessions, 

etc.) 

• Policy/procedure 

impacts on 

systems 

efficiencies 

• Costs and 

benefits 

• Abstract

• Outcomes and 

evaluation

Products Capstone project • Customized Café

Toolkit 

• Policies and 

procedures

• Presentations

• Evaluation 

reports

• Abstract

• Approach

Sustainability • Continue

effective policies 

and procedures 

developed 

during the 

project 

• Schedule for 

updating Café 

Toolkit 

• Volunteer 

training

• Funding to 

support 

screening or 

services

• Embed training 

and referral 

processes into 

staff/volunteer 

job descriptions 

• Sustainability

*Please refer to HHS-2022-ACL-AOA-INNU-0040 Replication Grants for requirements which apply to all 

Replication Projects.

 

Grant-related Resources

• Summary Brief (snapshot of project and findings)

• Initial Participant Survey Questions

• Encore Café Volunteer Orientation (overview of the program for volunteers, 

including roles and responsibilities)

• Request for Quote (quote request to identify food vendors for café sites)
6 

• Memorandum of Understanding (agreement outlining responsibilities and terms 

between the program and café sites)

• Senior Dining Site Policies and Procedures (outline of expectations, procedures, 

and resources for the operation of café sites)

• Nutritional Risk Survey (survey to measure impact of the program on nutrition 

risk behaviors)

• Satisfaction Survey (survey to measure program participant satisfaction)

The following journal articles describe the project and its outcomes:

• Savannah Schultz, Sarah L. Francis, Carlene Russell, Tim Getty, Alexandra 

Bauman & Mack Shelley (2021) Encore Café: An Innovative and Effective 

Congregate Nutrition Program, Journal of Nutrition in Gerontology and Geriatrics, 

40:4, 261-279, DOI: 10.1080/21551197.2021.1986455

• Savannah Schultz, Sarah L. Francis, Carlene Russell, Tim Getty, & Alexandra 

Bauman (2021) Innovating the Iowa Congregate Nutrition Program: A Needs and 

Preference Assessment, Journal of Nutrition in Gerontology and Geriatrics, 40:4, 

232-248, DOI: 10.1080/21551197.2021.1963905
7 

FAQ for Replication Model B

1. How can we develop a grant application without knowing what congregate 

meal program innovations will be selected by participants? 

Applicants may consider performing a survey of existing congregate meal 

participants prior to completing and submitting the grant or indicate that a formal 

survey will be completed to determine innovations if the grant is awarded.

Projects are required to implement a minimum of three new offerings within each 

participating congregate meal site.

2. Can questions be added to the toolkit’s participant survey collection tool? 

Yes. Applicants may add questions to customize the collection of participant 

information and preferences. 

3. Is the Nutrition Risk Survey provided by the original grantee required?

Does it count as a nutrition screen even though it’s not on the ACL 

approved list?

Yes, it is required. Applicants may include the Nutrition Risk Survey in addition to

ACL-approved measures listed in the Notice of Funding Opportunity. If the 

Nutrition Risk Survey will be used instead of ACL-approved measures, the 

application must indicate this and include a rationale.

4. Do I have to use the Satisfaction Survey that is listed on the template?

Yes, the Satisfaction Survey is required and should be customized to include 

project innovations, local contact information, etc.

5. For Population Served, can I include spouses and others that are under 60 

that our state includes in the congregate meal programs?

Older adults must be included in the data collected. The applicant may indicate 

other populations (e.g., spouses, caregivers, etc.) within the data collected and 

evaluated, based on the applicant’s evaluation framework.

6. Am I limited in the number of participating sites?

There is not a limit to the number of participating congregate meal sites; 

applications must implement a minimum of one site participating in the project.

7. Do innovations need to be done five days per week and at every location?

No. Applicants must indicate they will implement a minimum of three innovations 

based on their initial survey of participants. Some innovations may be 
8 

implemented in select sites, whereas other innovations may be provided 

uniformly throughout all sites, for example. 

8. Do the innovations have to meet the Dietary Guidelines for Americans 

and/or Dietary Reference Intake requirements?

Yes, along with any state menu requirements. As indicated in the Notice of 

Funding Opportunity, the project should be sustainable, so any pandemic-related 

flexibilities should not be assumed to continue indefinitely.

9. Do the volunteers have to bus tables, provide beverage service, and make 

referrals to other programs? 

The specific tasks assigned to volunteers are decided by the applicant, as long 

as the goal of having volunteers – to act as senior nutrition program

ambassadors, help the participants feel safe and comfortable during the dining 

experience, and should be able to make referrals to other aging network services

– is maintained. 

10. Do I need to find a single partner who can create and serve meals as well 

as provide the educational opportunities?

Applicants may propose partnering with as many entities as they feel necessary 

to accomplish the project goals.