Princeton is set to host a community feeding program for seniors in the newly opened Community Center, located at 416 North Fourth Street.

Meals would be served from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. and give senior citizens in the community a place to gather and socialize several days a week. The first meal is slated to be served Monday, Sept. 12., said CDC and EDC Coordinator DeShawyna Walker.

The city first began meeting with Meals on Wheels Collin County in June, Walker said, which involved discussions of what a community feeding location would look like. The partnership will be between the Princeton Community Development Corporation, Fire Department and Meals on Wheels.

The Collin County nonprofit currently provides over 1,000 meals each day to residents countywide, and projects to deliver 365,000 meals by September 30. Its drivers and volunteers help provide hot meals, mainly for homebound seniors, five days a week.

While city officials won’t be delivering meals to seniors’ homes, it will function as a way for Princeton residents to commune with one another and enjoy a meal, said Walker. 

“This partnership is going to enhance the lives of so many of our residents,” Walker said. 

Currently, one in six individuals is over the age of 60 in Collin County, with the county’s population of over 1.1 million residents. Around 13,000 residents turn 60 daily.

For the full story, see the Sept. 1 issue of The Princeton Herald.