Lunch at the Kent Senior Activity Center: Great food from a program greatly in need of more diners: Editor’s Note

The meal was chicken and dumplings, and my companion was Jean Ray.

And for a measly $6, I had lunch and made a friend on a Monday afternoon.

A 30-year resident of Kent, Jean is quiet and fun. And she has wonderful stories to tell – of a lifetime of hiking with her late mountaineer husband, Guy Ray, who guided on Rainier, and the romance of the summer they met. She was a young thing working at the Paradise Inn at Longmire, and he was taking climbers up the mountain.

“Every day off, we’d hike some place,” she remembered, of their times together before and after they’d married. The trails, it seemed, continued to beckon.

I am hoping to take Jean on some walks soon, too. This kind, sweet person was a special find during my first lunch at the Kent Senior Activity Center.

A friend is also what the Kent Senior Activity Center could use right now. Jean and I were enjoying something that may see rough times ahead, if more diners can’t be found.

For years, the Kent Senior Activity Center has been offering a daily lunch for anyone who’d like to come down and enjoy it. The food is always fresh-made, from scratch, and it’s good, let me tell you. Those dumplings nearly floated on air, they were so light. And there was home-baked bread, salad and a cookie. You also can get soup or sandwiches, too, and you can pay for it with a debit card, if you don’t have cash.

But the program needs more people enjoying it. Right now, the city of Kent is having to subsidize the lunch program out of its general fund, because not enough people are coming here to buy lunch, to enable the program to break even.

In these times of economic trouble, it is not a good thing to be funding something out of a city’s general fund – especially when cuts continue to be made.

But for many seniors, this low-cost, healthy lunch is a life saver.

“That’s the only nutritious meal they might have in the whole day,” said June Kelly, a volunteer at the center, who sat down to chat with Jean and I. “We’ve had people come all the way from Mercer Island to visit,” she added brightly. “The food is the best here.”

So here is my suggestion. The next time you’re taking a client to lunch, or a meeting with a friend or coworker, forego the fancy stuff and come to the Kent Senior Activity Center for lunch.

The meal is great, the people are friendly, and the atmosphere is quiet and relaxing. And you cannot beat the price. You also get to help others, who may not have as many meal options as you, and who depend on the senior center.

In fact, I’d like you to join me for lunch. In coming weeks, I’ll be taking some of our community leaders to lunch here at the center, and you’re invited to join us for a nice talk.

I’ve already gotten a commitment from our local state Rep. Dave Upthegrove, as well as my publisher Polly Shepherd for separate lunches, and I am hoping I can find others who would like to have lunch with me. I’d like to make it a regular thing.

I’ll be publicizing those lunch dates when we have the dates firmed up – the idea is to get as many people as we can to enjoy lunch and meet with some of our public leaders.

It’s a wonderful way to support a great program, not to mention have a good lunch!

Here’s the scoop: The senior center is located at 600 E. Smith St.. Lunch is served from 11:45 a.m. to 1 p.m. Monday through Friday. There is a daily entree selection, as well as sandwiches, salads or soups. You also get a beverage and a dessert.

If you have questions about this program, call the Kent Senior Center at 253-856-5150.