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# Creativity & Innovation

Generating fresh ideas and new ways of doing things can help senior nutrition programs as they navigate challenges and work to remain relevant in a rapidly changing world, from public health emergencies to meeting the needs of a new generation of older adults. Discover how programs across the country are identifying innovative and creative practices to improve services, diversifying funding, and improving the health of recipients. 

## Briefs

                    - No Reservations Required: Establishing Restaurant Partnerships in the Age of COVID-19  — Considerations  for restaurant partnerships

##  

##  Quick Guides

                    - Innovation: Part Discipline, Part Creativity, All Possible  — Four basic steps
                    - Food Truck 101 for Senior Nutrition Programs  — Meal program innovation
                    - Choice Menu Quick Guide  — Increase participation by offering choices                       - Sample Choice Menu  — Examples of how choice menus are offered by four different programs 
                    - Meal Site Environment: Institutional or Innovative  — Ideas and tips to optimize the meal site environment and improve overall participation                       - Quickinar Playlist (YouTube)
                      - Meal Site Metamorphosis Webinar
                      - Meal Site Metamorphosis Takeaways Sheet 

## Guides

                    - Iowa Cafe Guide for Partners  — Example restaurant partnership guide designed to help foodservice establishments partner with AAAs
                    - Marketing Solutions for Scaling Food is Medicine Prescriptions — Guide to overcoming challenges associated with Food is Medicine approach
                    - Guide to Working With Restaurants and Grocery Stores for Meals During COVID-19  — Guidance in partnering with food retailers to maintain competitiveness, provide high quality meals, and offer increased meal choice
                    - Nutrition Initiatives During COVID-19: Findings From State Aging and Disability Agencies — ADvancing States guide on opportunities and changes that states have made to ensure older adults and people with disabilities have access to food
                    - Meals in Motion  — Utilizing food trucks to innovate
                    - Social, Mental, Emotional Health Coloring Pages  — Activity guide

## Tools & Toolkits

                    - Senior Nutrition Programs: Restaurant Program Toolkit  — Key features of restaurant programs, how to create them, and promising practices for implementation and sustainability in one kit from the Nutrition and Aging Resource Center
                    - Behavior Design Toolkit — CDC toolkit for applying behavioral design strategies to help guests make healthier choices at the meal site
                    - Sharing Our Space — Resources for developing and enhancing intergenerational sites from Generations United and the Eisner Foundation

##  Presentations

                    - Increasing Participation (YouTube) — Joint webinar with NCOA Modernizing Senior Centers Resource Center on increasing participation in meal programs
                    - Giving People a Reason to Show Up (YouTube) — Network spotlight about being able to provide and drive a nutrition program based on what older adults ask for
                    - Keeping Things Fresh (YouTube) — Network spotlight about serving fresh meals with self-grown produce in Wisconsin
                    - Senior Center Without Walls Model (YouTube) — Network spotlight about delivering meals and activities for older community members in and by the community
                    - Innovation in Nutrition Grant Model B (Encore Cafe) Replication Call With Original Grant Recipient (YouTube) — Original grant recipient provides an overview of the project and guidance
                    - Revamp Your Congregate Meal Program Series — Four-part series hosted by ACL’s Senior Nutrition Program that aims to help local programs increase congregate meal participation and expand community reach                       - Part 1: Food Trucks (YouTube)
                      - Part 2: Cafe Connection (YouTube)
                      - Part 3: Restaurant Model (YouTube)
                      - Part 4: Dining Dollars (YouTube) 
                    - How To Start a Food Truck Business: A Step-by-Step Guide — SCORE webinar on launching a successful business
                    - Thinking Outside the Box With Meals On Wheels (YouTube) — Creative ideas to incorporate into home-delivered meals and community outreach with George Larson
                    - Serving Frozen Home-delivered Meals (YouTube) — Network spotlight on how changing to frozen meals made positive impacts for the Orange County Office for the Aging (New York)
                    - Adding Breakfast to Benefit Participants (YouTube) — Meals on Wheels Atlanta provides breakfast boxes to meal participants
                    - Power Up Your Congregate Meal Program Series — ACL and NCOA events (recordings are free but require sign-in)                       - Tips to Keep Those We Serve at the Table                            - Tips to Keep Those We Serve at the Table Takeaway Sheet 
                      - Tips to Attract New Participants                           - Tips to Attract New Participants Takeaway Sheet 
                      - Tips to Create a Welcoming Environment for Men                          - Tips to Create a Welcoming Environment for Men Takeaway Sheet 
                    - Enhance Hospitality  — Tips for enhancing atmosphere and hospitality in congregate meal programs                       - Enhance Hospitality Tip Sheet
                      - Suggestions for Creating a Welcoming Atmosphere 
                    - Offer More Choices  — Easy ways to increase menu and meal choices                       - Offer More Choices Tip Sheet 
                    - Updating Programming To Attract Baby Boomers  — Example program models
                    - Making Your Meal Program THRIVE (YouTube) — University of Arizona Center on Aging project focused on ensuring emotionally safe, supportive, and inclusive environments                       - Making Your Meal Program THRIVE Slides 

##   

##   Reports

                    - Implementing Medicaid Payments for “Food is Medicine” — Case study exploring how one GusNIP Produce Prescription grantee utilized Medicaid payments
                    - True Cost of Food: Food is Medicine Case Study — Suggested policy solutions to implementing Food is Medicine interventions based on anticipated outcomes from Tufts University

## Resources

                    - Connecting Home-delivered Meal Participants to Remote Evidence-Based Programs — NCOA article on organizations' success in pairing meals, clinical services, and evidence-based programs
                    - Sullivan Senior Center's St. Patrick's Day Grab & Go  — Socially distanced activity serving meals
                    - Social Enterprising Aging Network Example: REAL Grille  — Example of innovation including use of a food truck and catering services
                    - The Diner: Promising Practices from the Network  — Example of pivoting to social distancing during the COVID-19 pandemic
                    - Partnerships With Food Banks and Other United States Department of Agriculture Programs  — Frequently asked questions on how Older Americans Act programs can partner with SNAP, TEFAP, food banks, SFMNP, etc.
                    - Innovations and Lessons Learned From COVID-19  — Examples from the aging network
                    - Meals in Motion Food Truck — A food truck in Connecticut serves congregate and home-delivered meals

## Related Topics

                    - Looking to Innovate!
                    - Restaurant Partnerships
                    - Medically Tailored Meals

*Last modified on 02/08/2024*

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ACL funds the Nutrition and Aging Resource Center to build the capacity of senior nutrition programs funded by the Older Americans Act to provide high-quality, person-centered services and enhance program sustainability and resiliency.

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An official website of the Administration for Community Living, an operating division of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.