National Association of Counties * Washington, D.C.            Vol. 31, No. 17 * September 13, 1999

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California county gives restaurant
vouchers to help senior citizens

By Ginny Tuscano
Yuba County Health Department

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The Lunch Bunch … Getting out, socializing and eating well is exactly what the Yuba County (Calif.) SNAC program has in mind for its older residents. Enjoying the program, food and company are: (l–r) Lisa and Bill Wallace, Barbara Holmes, and Ella and Perry Horton.

When Yuba County found itself without a congregate meal site in the three urbanized areas of the county, elected and appointed officials developed and implemented the Senior Nutrition Access Card (SNAC) program. The SNAC program was specifically designed for mobile seniors from the areas that did not have a congregate meal site and able of going out to a restaurant.

The SNAC program was seen as a way to supplement the existing two congregate meal sites in the county funded under the Older American Act.

The SNAC program is funded with CSBG (Community Services Block Grant) grants and therefore does not compete for nor does it takes away the existing congregate or home delivered meal programs. SNAC is a one year pilot program, with funding available through the City of Marysville and the County of Yuba.

Forty low income seniors, who reside in the County of Yuba and who are mobile enough to go out into the community for restaurant meals were signed up for the program.

For many of them this is the only time they venture outside of the home and have a chance to socialize with other community residents. One participant uses this time as a respite break from caring for her invalid husband.

There are currently six restaurants participating in the program. These range from a nationwide chain, Denny’s, to local specialty restaurants. Each participant has a SNAC identification card and a monthly booklet of 20 coupons that can be used at any of the participating restaurants. It was originally hoped that the program would be able to utilize a credit card system but the cost and logistics to implement a debit card system for such a small program was prohibitive at this time, perhaps as the program expands the debit card idea can be revisited.

Each coupon is valued at $6. There are 20 coupons to be used during the month and it is entirely up to each participant how and when those coupons are used. If they would like to go out for dinner twenty times a month or if they would like to have lunch and dinner ten times a month, the choice is theirs.

Supervisor Al Amaro said “This program is about freedom of choice and returning dignity to our seniors, our seniors now have the opportunity to eat what they like and when it is convenient for them.” Supervisor Bill Simmons added, “Our seniors decide what meal of the day they take and what day of the week they take their meals.“ ”This is the beauty of the program,” Amaro added. “Seniors can rise early and have breakfast, or they can sleep late and have lunch or dinner.”

They can take a Sunday brunch after church with their friends or for that matter a Saturday evening night out meal” The participant decides when and what they want to eat, usually their favorites and not restricted by someone else’s decisions. The only restrictions are that no alcohol can be purchased with the SNAC coupons and the gratuity cannot be added to the bill.

Each coupon may be redeemed for the cost of the meal up to $6. If the meal costs more than $6 the participant is responsible for the difference. If the meal is less than $6 the restaurant will be paid for the actual cost of the meal. The response from the restaurants and the participants has been overwhelmingly positive. The SNAC Program seems to be a reasonable and viable nutrition program that is an alternative choice for our seniors.

Participating restaurant owners have seen an increase in customers as seniors on the program usually bring a friend or friends new to the restaurant, not on the program and therefore pay for meals out of pocket.

“This is another of the advantages of the program,” Simmons said. “SNAC is also about creating a partnership between the private and public sectors and stimulating the economy.”

Since the program began in April of 1999, more than 12 hundred meals have been purchased by the forty participants at a cost of approximately $7,200.

Yuba County to better evaluate the merits of the SNAC program has applied for private grants to extend the program to 100 seniors for two years.

SNAC menu features good nutrition with a dash of healthy spirits Although only six months old, the Yuba County (Calif.) SNAC Program gets rave reviews from its participants. “We feel so much better. We were tired of eating our own cooking and were not very healthy,” say Bill and Ellen Horton , regular SNAC customers. Their friends, the Wallaces, also give high marks to the program. In a letter to the program’s’ coordinator, Bill Wallace explains how the opportunity to get out for a meal has helped boost his wife’s spirits as she recovers from seven major surgeries in 13 months. “This [the SNAC program] helps her get out more often than she otherwise would.” Mrs. Wallace is probably equally happy about the change in chefs. For as her husband acknowledges: “And at eighty years of age, and having never cooked before — I’m sure the meals are more nutritious than the ones I prepare at home.”