8 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY NOVEMBER 27-DECEMBER 3, 2025 www.montereycountynow.com 831 A little after 11am on a recent Thursday, a dance party spontaneously breaks out inside the community room at Sherwood Village, subsidized senior housing run by CHISPA. As Montalvo the Band from Soledad is playing classic Spanish and English hits, some of the women in the room jump up and dance. There are smiles everywhere among the 50 or so seniors in the room. This is one of the monthly luncheon gatherings of Meals on Wheels of the Salinas Valley, known as Senior Socials. There are seven total each month that take place in King City, Soledad, Greenfield, Salinas, Marina and Castroville, open to people aged 60 and up. At Sherwood Village, the social typically takes place on the fourth Thursday of every month. The gatherings include lunch, music or an activity, resource tables and takeaway boxes of food from the Food Bank for Monterey County. The lunches started in 2021 as a way to get seniors out of their homes to socialize and receive nutritious food, two major challenges for the age group. Isolation is a nationwide problem, says MOWSV President/CEO Regina Gage. A study in 2023 found that 34 percent of older U.S. adults reported feeling socially isolated. Researchers have linked isolation and loneliness to increased risk of dementia, heart disease, stroke, anxiety and depression. Conversely, more social interaction can lead to increased wellness and longevity. MOWSV’s Senior Socials fill that need for social connection. “It gives them a place to go to see friends and have fun,” Gage says. She believes they are serving an underserved population of Monterey County that is often ignored and overlooked. Most of the gatherings see about 50-60 attendees, although the one in Greenfield, on the second Wednesday of each month inside the Greenfield Veteran’s Memorial Hall, can include as many as 110 guests. The popularity of the lunches is growing and they often max out on sign-ups, Gage says. Many guests like to dress up for the occasion. Yolanda Gonzales, a 14-year resident of Sherwood Village and one of the women out on the dance floor, has been coming to the socials since they began. She appreciates the healthy produce distribution, adding, “I’m a heart patient. It doesn’t look like it, but I am!” She also appreciates the resource tables in the back of the room with representatives from various nonprofits and agencies. “A lot of us can’t drive or go out, so it’s very helpful,” she says. On this day, Legal Services for Seniors, Monterey-Salinas Transit, the Community Health Partnership representing Ready California, Central Coast Visiting Nurses Association and Hospice and MOWSV have tables set up. Gonzales picked up several pamphlets and fliers, as well as a blue plastic backscratcher from MST. In addition to providing food boxes, the Food Bank provides lunches at six of the seven social gatherings. Gage says without the Food Bank’s support it would be difficult to host the events. After about 20 minutes of socializing and dancing, Gage gets up to welcome everyone, with Vicky Canepa of Legal Services for Seniors providing Spanish translation. Lunch is served at 11:30am with helpers bringing out to-go containers full of spaghetti with meat sauce and a green salad. Later, trays of sugar cookies decorated with icing and sprinkles in fall colors are brought around to the guests “It’s very good,” says Ernesto Espinoza as he digs into the spaghetti. He says the meals each month are always good—”No sandwiches, it’s a meal,” he says. “I like everything [about the socials]. I like the environment.” After everyone’s been fed, it’s time for a brief speaker—every month a different nonprofit or agency is highlighted. Martha Ortega of the Community Health Partnership is there that day with emergency preparedness information from Ready California. Before Ortega introduces her team and starts her brief talk, she marvels at how happy everyone in the room is. “When I’m older I want to be as happy as you are. This is so fun,” she says. Information on how to sign up for a MOWSV Senior Social is available at mowsalinas.org/programs/monthly-socials-schedule, or call MOWSV at (831) 758-6325. The Lunch Bunch Mobile luncheons bring more than nourishment to seniors up and down the Salinas Valley. By Pam Marino “A lot of us can’t drive or go out, so it’s very helpful.” TALES FROM THE AREA CODE NIK BLASKOVICH Live music complements a lunch gathering at Sherwood Village in Salinas. Meals on Wheels of the Salinas Valley hosts seven mobile luncheons monthly throughout the Salinas Valley. SHOP. EAT. STAY. LOCAL Find local businesses at montereychamber.com/list SHOP SMALL shop local this holiday season!
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