Oakland ~ There's a new breakfast club at the West Oakland Senior Center. Only problem is, there's more food than people to eat it.

The center began serving daily breakfasts from 8 to 10 a.m. on May 3. But after a crowded first day, the number of senior citizens sharing a nutritious morning meal has dropped off considerably, leaving the 65-seat dining room far from full, said senior center director Jennifer King.

"We're not feeding as many as we can serve, and we want the money to be well spent," King said. "We got the money, and we want to provide nutritious breakfasts to seniors."

The center already offered a free lunch program. So providing a free breakfast seemed like a good idea, especially because of the difficulty some seniors have finding healthy foods at their local store, King said.

King received a $3,000 grant from the California/Nevada Community Action Partnership to start the morning nutrition program. It was augmented by $4,000 from the senior center, $4,000 from the city, $1,500 from the Oakland Black Firefighters and $500 from the Oakland A's.

The money will last through July. But a separate state agency that heard about the new breakfast program contacted King, urging her to apply for money that could fund the morning meals through the end of the year.

Chef Kanika Brown is a recent graduate of the California Culinary Academy. On Mondays and Fridays she prepares hot meals, such as French toast, pancakes and omelets. On the days in between, seniors dine on whole-grain muffins, oatmeal, high-grain cereals and fruit. Today is smoothie day, King said. Breakfast is served Monday through Friday.

Nutritionists from the West Oakland Health Center, Alameda County and a registered nurse from Kaiser Permanente helped plan the program and oversee meal content. Although the seniors love the program, they don't always take to some of the healthier alternatives.

"They were having fits about the sugar-free jelly, and we had to explain to them why it was staying on the menu," King laughed.

Councilmember Nancy Nadel (Downtown-West Oakland) thinks the program has other benefits as well.

"I think it's wonderful," Nadel said. "A lot of seniors live alone and eat by themselves, so I think it's a really good way to keep seniors from being isolated and give them something they need: a healthful breakfast."

The center offers an array of programs, from line dancing and tennis lessons to computer and sewing classes. Participants come from a variety of backgrounds and incomes, with some living below the poverty line, King said.

Some are very active, others less so. Sometimes just getting to the center can be a struggle for those who don't have transportation or live near a bus line or West Oakland Shuttle stop, King said.

For that reason, King has added less physically strenuous activities to the schedule to engage seniors at the center between breakfast and lunch. Two such additions include poetry and memoir-writing classes.

"They can come, have breakfast, meet some new friends and stay for lunch," she said.

The West Oakland Senior Center is at 1724 Adeline St., 238-7016.

The Oakland Tribune: Cityside
Leanne McLaughlin, Managing Editor
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