$350,000 gift for fresh, plant forward meals at Wayne Senior Center
WAYNE, Pennsylvania – Wayne Senior Center, an innovative community center for active adults age 55+, has received a $350,000 gift to expand its programs for healthy living.
The transformative grant from the Radnor-based Mariposa Wish Foundation will support a comprehensive chef-led nutrition program, featuring fresh, plant forward meals that nourish the body and excite the palate while building community around the table.
The new program builds on Wayne Senior Center’s long track record – serving its first meal in 1975. Over the 50-year span, personal dietary needs, practices, and expectations have changed significantly. “People today want choices, and they know that what they eat can improve their health,” explains Wayne Senior Center Executive Director Katie Mahon. “Thanks to the amazing generosity of the Mariposa Wish Foundation, we will be able to provide delicious meals that are nutrient packed and accommodate a myriad of diets, tastes and preferences.”
The grant will fund programming elements such as nutritional counseling and cooking classes for the public, and the daily menu offerings will be developed in consultation with a nutritionist to incorporate the latest science on diet and wellness.
Jill Chambers is President of the Mariposa Wish Foundation. "I got involved with Wayne Senior Center in the quirkiest way,” shared Chambers. “I basically locked myself out of my car in Wegmans' parking lot one day. Sue Parker, a member of the Center’s Board of Directors, happened to be walking by and offered to help. She ended up giving me a ride home to grab a key and back again. When I asked how I could repay her, she mentioned the Center - and that's how it all started. I quickly saw it was exactly the kind of place Mariposa Wish was created to support: a local organization doing meaningful work for members of our community. It makes us feel good to see our grant enable the expansion of their program for healthy living."
Wayne Senior Center provided more than 19,000 meals last year thanks to its longstanding partnership with the Delaware County Office of Services for the Aging (COSA). “Food insecurity is a big issue for older adults in all communities,” explains PA State Representative Lisa Borowski, “and the meals served at Wayne Senior Center are a lifeline.”
Mahon believes food is a central building block of community. “The breakfasts and lunches we serve become a place for building friendships, enjoying conversation, and creating connections that are just as important for overall wellbeing as the nutrients in the food.”
The Senior Center has been building strong community connections of its own. It has partnered with Margaret Kuo and other local chefs through its “Chef’s Table” program pairing cooking demonstrations with a delicious meal. This spring, the Center launched “Fresh Start” breakfasts with a $10,000 grant from its neighbor, Wayne Presbyterian Church. When the Mariposa Wish funded nutrition program launches this fall, it will be in partnership with the Willows Park Preserve, utilizing its commercial kitchen.
“I love seeing two of Radnor’s premier non-profits collaborating to better serve our residents,” shared Rep. Borowski who noted she’s looking forward to coming for lunch when the program launches.
Willows Park Preserve was founded in 2017 by a group of passionate Radnor residents to revitalize the Willows Mansion and open it to the community. Executive Director Will Nord says the Willows is excited about the partnership with Wayne Senior Center, “Our similar values of health and wellness as well as a focus on enhancing our community is why this collaboration makes so much sense.”
An early accomplishment of the Willows revitalization effort was to restore the mansion’s kitchen, upgrading to commercial grade equipment and appliances. The renovation was funded in part by a Keystone Communities grant facilitated by State Senator Amanda Cappelletti who represents Pennsylvania’s 17th district encompassing both the Willows and the Senior Center.
“Public funds should be used to serve the public good. I was proud to help secure state funding for the Willows renovation, recognizing how vital it is to invest in our local landmarks. These spaces are hubs for community life, bringing people together, and enriching our neighborhoods,” said Senator Cappelletti. “Congratulations to The Willows and Wayne Senior Center on this exciting partnership, which will enhance the quality of life for our seniors and residents throughout the region.”
The Mariposa Wish Foundation was impressed by Wayne Senior Center’s level of community collaboration and Chambers herself has partnered with the Center beyond the grant support,
joining the Center’s garden club and serving as a tech support volunteer. “Katie and the team at Wayne Senior Center are smart, creative and caring,” she says. “They’re not just providing meals, they’re creating community. With this grant, Mariposa Wish is ensuring that their nutrition program remains at the heart of the warm and welcoming environment that they have built.”
This time of year, Chambers and other Wayne Senior Center members are nearly daily visitors to the Willows Park, tending to their large organic vegetable patch in the Skunk Hollow Community Garden on the property. The produce they grow goes straight into the meals they serve or is distributed to older adults in the community. “We are definitely planning on a farm-to-table element when our new menu launches” says Mahon. “We want to use the freshest ingredients and be seasonal, flexible and responsive to the dietary needs and culinary preferences of our members, guests and greater community that gather at our Center for nourishment and camaraderie.”
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Wayne Senior Center is located at 108 Station Road, Wayne and is open to the public from 8:30-4:00 Monday through Friday. For half a century, WSC has been a welcoming, inclusive and vital support hub, supporting health and wellness for older adults. Promoting connectivity and fostering a sense of belonging, WSC works to ensure that older adults can remain engaged and supported in their daily lives. Programs at WSC include wellness classes, a fitness center, music and arts classes, lifelong learning opportunities, social events, social services counseling, support groups, referrals provided by a licensed social worker, and a daily community meal program offering dining on-site and to-go.
The Willows Park Preserve mission is to revitalize the Willows Mansion as an integral part of the Willows Park and open it to the community as a welcoming and inclusive place for relaxation, connection, celebration and life-long learning. The Willows envisions a place where all members of the community can experience social interaction, life-long learning, personal growth and enhanced well-being.
