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Celebrating the Senior Nutrition Program: Cooking Up Community for 51 Years By Keri Lipperini, Director of the Office of Nutrition and Health Promotion Programs What do glazed carrots and the opportunity for conversation have in common? These are just two of the many ways that the Senior Nutrition Program provides vital nutrition services and socialization.    Across the country, about 5,000 providers serve one million meals each day — making a difference in the health and well-being of older Americans. Each March, we celebrate this program and the people and participants that make it possible. The theme for this year’s anniversary celebration, Cooking Up Community, emphasizes the way local programs serve, build, and better their communities through meals, education, and social connections. Collaborating both on a local level and on a national level through ACL, local program providers are experts on the ground. They know best what their communities need to thrive and what their programs need to better serve older adults. In a promotional video ACL released last year, program participants and partners talked about how their local programs offer convenience and conversation — and help introduce them to nutritious foods that they may not have eaten before.  Our aging services network has proved — and continues to prove — its resiliency during COVID-19, finding imaginative ways to provide necessary services in unprecedented times. As we move forward, we are excited to see how local providers will use flexible service delivery models, partnerships, and other advancements to tackle our network’s most pressing concerns: food insecurity among older adults, volunteer recruitment, and sustainability.  ACL continues to support local senior nutrition programs in a variety of ways, including through our funded Nutrition and Aging Resource Center. The recently revamped website offers tools and tips to increase innovation, efficiency, and impact. The new Browse Resources section will be updated continually so the network can explore topics like business management, nutrition counseling, and social isolation. We’re also diving deeper into priority issues by developing resources like our four-webinar series on food insecurity. We at ACL are eager to continue working with our partners in communities across the country to support older adults on their journeys to be healthy and happy. This month and throughout the year, please join us in recognizing and promoting the work of this important program.   On March 22, ACL hosted its annual virtual anniversary celebration event, recognizing the program's impact and discussing how to continue innovating to advance the critical services the program provides to older adults.  ACL.gov   Advancing independence, integration, and inclusion throughout life

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