Earlier this summer, lunchtime at the Polk County Congregate Meal Site in Ankeny looked a little like a neighborhood picnic.
Red, white, and blue were everywhere. Friends gathered around tables. Volunteers served slices of pie. Plates were filled with hot dogs, baked beans, potato salad, and other familiar summer favorites, and conversation traveled easily across the busy room.
The food on those plates came from WesleyLife Meals on Wheels, which prepares and delivers meals for Polk County's congregate meal sites. Polk County operates the sites, providing welcoming places throughout the county where older adults can gather for lunch and, just as importantly, for one another.
It's a partnership built around nourishment in more ways than one. What was happening around those tables in Ankeny illustrated something that can't be delivered in a food container: connection.
Food ... but much more
Across Polk County, congregate meal sites like the one in Ankeny give older adults opportunities to enjoy nutritious food while spending time with friends, meeting new people, and remaining connected to the communities they call home. Many sites also provide spaces to play cards and games, watch movies, or simply sit and catch up.
On this particular day, just before the Fourth of July holiday, Shannon Draayer, executive director of WesleyLife Meals on Wheels, joined a packed lunchtime crowd in Ankeny.
"WesleyLife Meals on Wheels is honored to serve the centers and to witness firsthand the joy that can come from the simple act of sharing a meal with friends," Draayer, pictured at left in pink, said.
"Really, the people here would probably say it's more like sharing a meal with family. Many of them are alone and gain so much from the relationships they find here. The centers provide a sense of community for people who have chosen to age in their homes, and it's a vitally important way to prevent isolation."
Mary of Des Moines, surrounded by friends, laughter, and plates of hot dogs, watermelon, and pie, said the center has enriched life for both her and her husband.
"This place has been a blessing to us; our daughter insisted that we come here and meet people and get out and do things, and all of a sudden we had people coming up to us and saying, 'Come join us at our table,'" Mary says. "It's wonderful sharing stories of our childhoods; so many of us were raised on farms and have similar stories. It's such a pleasant feeling and makes you feel like you belong.
"Oh, and we love the pie!"
Nearby, Barb of Ankeny said she also loves the pie. But more importantly, she's seen relationships formed at the center change lives in unexpected ways.
"We all come to the center and we make new acquaintances and friends, and one example that I can share is with a couple named Bev and Jim," she said. "They had both lost their spouses of many years, and they were coming here looking for a meal and some socialization.
"They happened to sit at the same table and something happened that they never could have expected: It was love at first sight! They now are married and sharing their lives and are dedicated to each other. That's just a part of the magic of this wonderful place."
While matchmaking isn't necessarily a goal of the congregate meal sites, providing a sense of belonging is an important part of the program, said Eric N. Kool, director of Polk County Community, Family and Youth Services, which oversees the centers.
"Congregate meals are a great opportunity for nutrition and fellowship," Kool said. "Everybody says how much they appreciate having a place to go every day to have a meal and visit with friends. It all comes down to the meal; the meal is what brings people to the house, so to speak."
Polk County operates congregate meal sites Monday through Friday at community centers around the county. Meals are served from 11 a.m. to noon, with walk-ins served from noon to 12:15 p.m.
And Kool emphasizes an important point: All older adults are welcome.
Team members help participants complete an intake form and provide emergency contact information, but there is no eligibility determination or consideration of income. Meals are free, with voluntary contributions accepted in accordance with the Older Americans Act.
The quality of what's on the plate matters, too — both for nutrition and because a good meal can be the invitation that brings someone through the door.
"We appreciate Meals on Wheels as nutrition experts; we appreciate their reliability and we appreciate their direct engagement with consumers to hear about their service," Kool said.
A desire to do more
WesleyLife Meals on Wheels began providing meals to Polk County's congregate meal sites in July 2023, extending the organization's longtime work to address hunger, nutrition, and social isolation throughout Central Iowa. Polk County recently renewed the contract, continuing the partnership.
For Meals on Wheels, the work reflects an understanding that nourishment isn't simply about what's on a plate. Food has the power to bring people together, and meaningful connection is an important part of well-being at every age.
The congregate program also offers something different from home-delivered meals: the opportunity to sit across the table from someone else, share a conversation, laugh over lunch, and know there will be people expecting to see you again.
"It may surprise people to know that food insecurity is so prevalent here in the Metro," Draayer said. "It's everywhere throughout our community, regardless of what ZIP code you live in. We're thankful to Polk County for making it possible for us to enhance our impact in serving some of the Metro's most vulnerable populations."
Back in Ankeny, no one seemed particularly interested in talking about contracts, programs, or partnerships.
They were busy having lunch.
There was conversation to catch up on, friends to connect with, a whole lot of laughter ... and pie.
"If we know people who feel nervous to come here, we just tell them how good Pie Days are, and that gets their attention," Mary said with a laugh. "It brings them in, but the people keep them coming."