Help The Columbia Senior Diners

The Columbia Senior Diners (also known as the nonprofit Senior Citizens of Astoria, Inc.) located in the Astoria Senior Center, serves a scrumptious, affordable lunch Monday through Friday, 11:00 a.m. to noon, which is prepared by the new Columbia Senior Diners chef, Nathan Wright.  Check out our updated menu info and COVID-19 guidelines here.

The seniors could use your help!  The nonprofit diner is currently struggling to make ends meet, due to lack of funding and continuing increases in food costs.  Recently, the Astoria Co-op raised almost $4400 for the Columbia Senior Diners during the month of September!  Currently, the CSD is accepting donations through PayPal (top and bottom of this page).

Please consider any donation of time, goods or money to the CSD.  Just check in at the Astoria Senior Center's front desk for more information.   We can also be reached at 503-325-9693.

Here's a little background on the CSD: In 1973, the Diners received non-profit status.  The founding mission was to provide reasonably priced lunches to seniors while they enjoyed the opportunity for conversation and socialization.​  Monday through Friday, for $6.00, lunches are served that comprise a homemade bowl of soup, salad, main course (meat/fish with potatoes or pasta), hot vegetables, choice of beverage and often a tasty treat for dessert.  The generous portions offer enough food for many diners to take left overs home and have a healthy snack.  Some diners want a lighter meal of hearty, homemade soup, choice of beverage, bread or crackers for $4.00. 

The current feasibility of low cost, delicious lunches is accomplished by volunteer staff that serve, wash dishes and run the organization on a daily basis. In 2019, many hard-working volunteers contributed their time to serve almost 6,000 meals in the dining room and another 3,500 delivered lunches to seniors unable to leave their homes.  That is a total of 9,500 meals enjoyed by seniors in our community.

Birthdays are observed, holidays celebrated,  announcements made, ethnic meals prepared and much more; all contribute to an atmosphere of fun and belonging  within a peer group.

Seniors who cannot occasionally or permanently join others in the dining area can have meals delivered to their homes upon request.  Every possible accommodation is made to individual tastes and food restrictions.  For people who may be isolated at home, a driver from Columbia Senior Diners checks in once a day for a brief but vital connection. 

The aging demographics of Clatsop County create challenges that Columbia Senior Diners addresses by supporting seniors to live healthy, independent and socially richer relationships and lives.

The Columbia Senior Diners (Senior Citizens of Astoria, Inc) is a 501(C)(3) nonprofit.  All donations are tax-deductible.  Thank you all so much for your ongoing assistance, sponsorship and fund-raising for the CSD.