The La Center Lions Club marked one year of hosting its weekly senior lunch on Thursday, Oct. 1, celebrating a year of volunteer service that has provided thousands of meals while creating a regular gathering place for seniors at the La Center Wheel Club Community Center.
The Lions took over operation of the Thursday lunch in October 2025 after Meals on Wheels People lost federal funding and made changes to its service model at satellite centers, including La Center.
The organization stopped sending two cooks to prepare meals on site, leaving the Lions to organize volunteers with the help of staff from La Center Mayor Tom Strobehn's business to pick up the prepared hot meals from Meals on Wheels People. Lions volunteers handle the rest of the weekly operation.
A year later, Lions Club President Jason Rivers said the decision to take on the lunch has shown him just how important the program is to some of the seniors who attend.
“One thing I've really learned is by talking to these different seniors and making my rounds and introducing myself, I guess I really didn't understand the gravity of this project that we do here,” Rivers said. “Some of them are in tears as they talk to me and say how this allows them to actually make it.”
“So, this is literally a lifeline for at least a handful of them,” he added.
During the first year, approximately 24 volunteers regularly helped with the Thursday lunch, Rivers said. Those volunteers collectively contributed 4,469 hours while 3,972 meals were served.
The weekly lunch operates from 11 a.m. to noon and has grown from roughly 20 attendees at the beginning of the Lions' involvement to between 40 and 50 people regularly, according to longtime Lions volunteer Judy Hickman.
Attendance has reached as many as 54 people.
Hickman has been involved with the lunch for 12 years, including the period when Meals on Wheels People operated the event. She said the Lions now handle much of the work that was previously performed by Meals on Wheels People staff.
The Lions supplement the hot meal with soup, salad, bread and dessert before serving the meal to attendees. Volunteers also distribute groceries donated by local Safeway stores.
Hickman said the groceries are another important part of the program.
“It's a lot of groceries,” she said. “Saves them a lot of money.”
For attendees, however, the weekly lunch is about more than food.
Merle Sherman, a regular attendee, said the community keeps her coming back.
“It's the community of the people, more than anything. And the opportunity to give back in ways like volunteering, or bringing things from the garden, or just seeing the different people,” Sherman said. “The food that the Lions Club puts on is fabulous.”
Sherman said the weekly gathering has also helped her and others maintain social connections as they age.
“We've met people here that have been helpful in our lives, things that we can help each other with, whether it's about gardening or different things that you need,” she said. “And to stay at home, it's hard to reach out to people. And as you get older, your network of people diminish. And this is a way to keep it going.”
Steve Marling, who lives in Battle Ground, attends the La Center lunch in addition to another Meals on Wheels People gathering in Amboy. He said the food assistance has made a substantial difference in his ability to afford groceries on Social Security, while the friendships have become equally important.
“And it's the companionship with other people my age, and the friends that you make. And secondarily, I get about half of the food that I eat, because it's just me,” Marling said of the groceries. “So I get about half the food that I eat, and it enables me to live quite comfortably on my Social Security.”
Marling said the program reduces his weekly grocery costs from about $200 to $50.
“It enables me to do other things for pleasure or whatever that I wouldn't be able to do. And I would be strapped for enough food to eat, and I'm not. It comes right down to that,” he said. “But that's only part of it. Part of it is just the camaraderie and friends.”
Rivers said the fellowship is a major part of the Lions' work.
“I also see how important it is, not only about the importance of the food, but really the importance of fellowship and actually getting to talk to one another,” Rivers said. “Because for most in this room, this is their only time to actually have fellowship and be able to visit with people they're going to be friends with.”
Looking ahead, Rivers said the Lions hope to expand the program and reach more seniors in La Center and surrounding communities.
“I'm actually looking forward to growth,” Rivers said. “I'm looking forward to it, and some of us here have talked about how we can take this stuff further. And I think maybe getting the word out and to let the seniors know around the community, around our neighboring areas, we are here and we are welcome to the ones in the neighboring communities also.”
The Lions also could explore adding another day of service in the future.
“Not only just this day, maybe we can expand it to another day,” Rivers said. “That would be like a goal. It would be nice to do it a couple times, but we'll see how that works out.”
As the club celebrated its first year, Rivers also recognized the volunteers who make the weekly lunch possible.
“I'm just really thankful for the seniors that actually come here,” Rivers said. “What I'm doing today is handing out certificates to appreciate the volunteers that are here each and every Thursday and give up their time. And I just want to really show my gratitude for the actual volunteers because without them, this wouldn't happen.”
The senior lunch occurs each Thursday from 10:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Wheel Club Community Center, 1000 E. Fourth St. in La Center.
