The Koreatown Senior & Community Center will provide free lunch boxes every day of the week for seniors and low-income residents starting in 2024.
The Koreatown Senior & Community Center said that starting Tuesday, January 16, 2024, 200 lunch boxes will be available at the center every day from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, on a first-come, first-served basis.
To receive these free lunches, which are funded by the Los Angeles Department of Aging, residents must fill out a separate application at the senior center. Upon completion of the application, they will receive a tag with a barcode. Residents can then swipe the barcode tag each time they want to pick up a lunch box.
However, due to the limited supply, only the first 200 people per day will be able to receive a lunch, even if they have a barcode tag. The senior center received the first 200 boxes from the Los Angeles Department of Aging on December 21.
The senior center announced that starting from December 28, 200 boxes will be delivered each Thursday on January 4 and 11 in 2024. From Tuesday, January 16 onwards, these deliveries will occur daily throughout the week.
The lunch boxes consist of a variety of menus, including chicken, pork, beef, and turkey. Milk, snacks, and fruits are also included with the lunch boxes. The senior center said this allows them to provide free food to the elderly living alone and low-income residents in Koreatown.
It also said it plans to set up tables and chairs at the senior center’s second campus, Da Wool Jung, so that the lunches can be eaten on site.
Younghee Choi (67), who received the lunch box on December 21, said, “It was a free lunch box, but it was delicious. It’s a great help for the seniors who have a hard time eating. Thank you to the senior center.”
The free lunches were the result of a meeting with the City Commissioner on City of Los Angeles Department of Aging, who visited the senior center last August. At the time, the Senior Center’s Chairwoman Yong Sin Shin said, “We have a kitchen at the center, but it’s difficult for us to cook,” and asked the city commissioner to consider ways to provide meals to seniors.
In response, LA’s General Manager of the Department of Aging, Jaime Pacheco-Orozco, suggested that the senior center be designated as a free meal site for the city, and within five months, it became a reality.
“It is very meaningful that the LA Department of Aging will provide 200 lunch boxes to the senior center every day from the new year,” said Shin. “This is the first official government support for the Korean American community, and we look forward to receiving more support in the future.”
BY SUAH JANG, JUNHAN PARK [jang.suah@koreadaily.com]
