Columbia Senior Diners
The Astoria Senior Center serves a scrumptious, affordable lunch Monday through Friday in our dining area, which is prepared by the Columbia Senior Diners chef, Roger Hayes. Roger worked in numerous North Coast restaurants including The Pacific Way Cafe, The Columbian Cafe, The Cannery Cafe, and Ira's, before moving into a position of managing the kitchen at the Uniontown Apartments soup kitchen. Roger brings 12 years of kitchen experience to the position of cook at the Columbia Senior Diners. Check out our menu 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. Currently, the CSD is accepting donations through this secure link. 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 2014, 41 hard-working volunteers contributed 4,200 hours to serve 9,117 meals in the dining room and another 4,592 lunches to seniors unable to leave their homes. That is a total of 13,709 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 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.
