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09/01/2015 04:00 PMMadison senior citizens gathering to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the town’s senior center last week had something else to celebrate—the grand opening of the new Senior Center Café.
A ribbon cutting marked the celebration as well as speeches from Director of Senior Services Austin Hall, First Selectman Fillmore McPherson, state Commissioner on Aging Elizabeth Ritter, and additional town representatives. Other activities included a performance by the Connecticut Yankee Chorus, tours of the center, and refreshments.
Hall was thrilled to open the café to the public.
“I can tell you that our vision for the café has been a success and I could not be any happier,” he said.
The café, which had opened in early August, has already been very successful, according to Hall.
“Over the first two weeks of August, we have served 160 different seniors in our dinning room,” he said. “We have served 30 different individuals who have received Meals on Wheels. To put those numbers into perspective, the first two weeks of August 2014, we served only 31 individuals in the dinning room. That is an increase of 416 percent. “
Hall thanked his staff, particularly chef Kevin Wolf, and encouraged all seniors to come give the café a try.
“If you are a senior and have not been to our lunch program yet, you should,” he said. “I promise you that the food you will receive here will be different than any other senior center. You can’t get a $4 meal of this quality anywhere else.”
McPherson attended the events, chatting with fellow seniors before giving a speech.
“This is quite a momentous day,” he said. “This new facility, which has been open for a few years, now is a fantastic place for us to gather. I am also a senior, in case you didn’t guess.”
McPherson said the Senior Center is a reflection of the town’s commitment to its senior citizens.
“This building is Madison’s commitment to the senior population,” he said. “We are proud of a lot of things in Madison, we have great schools, great beaches, [and] a great downtown, and now we have made the commitment to having a great place to for seniors to gather and enjoy themselves, and I think that is something we can all be proud of.”
Ritter congratulated the town on the success of the center.
“I remember when this center was built and it was a big decision for the town of Madison,” she said. “And it is clearly a decision that will serve you all very well.”
Ritter noted that Madison was ahead of the state in its commitment to its seniors.
“I can tell you that what is happing here puts Madison way at the head of the pack,” she said. “I haven’t been to any other 50th anniversary in the state yet.”
Madison Selectman Diane Stadterman spoke about the genesis of the building.
“The senior commission has worked very hard since this building opened in 2011,” she said. “They have really identified the needs of the seniors in this town and one of the topics they worked very hard on was food security. We took a long serious look at how we can help the seniors in town maintain really good nutritional status.”
Stadterman said that the center and the café will help to keep Madison seniors healthy and social.
“Everyone thinks of Madison as a well-to-do town, but there are people who do need help and there’s more to do with having a nutritional lunch than just the food placed in front of you,” she said. “It has a lot to do with the people sitting across from you and the socialization of food and so it is very important that we were able to do this with the café.”
Reservations for the café can be made by calling the main desk at 203-245-5627; the menu can be found online at www.madisonct.org/seniors. All lunches will be served at a flat rate of $4 dollars; five-meal passes can be purchased for $20.