January 31, 2024 / By mobanmarket
GREENWICH, CT — There were smiles all around Tuesday morning at 299 Greenwich Ave., after the new and improved café was unveiled inside The Wallace Center For Vibrant Living & Purposeful Aging, formerly known as the Greenwich Senior Center.
Town officials, community and senior center members gathered at the center for a ribbon-cutting ceremony to celebrate the new Wallace Café.
“Planning for this new café actually started over four years ago, even before the pandemic. If I had a dollar every time a member said to me, ‘Lori, when is that café going to be done?’ I probably would have retired by now. But today is the day,” said Lori Contadino, executive director of the Greenwich Commission on Aging and Wellness Center during Tuesday’s ceremony.
The café will be open for breakfast and lunch, Monday through Friday, from 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., and available to members of the center only.
Overseen by Lessing’s Hospitality Group, there will be hot breakfast and lunch offerings, daily specials and a la carte options at a reasonable cost. The menu can be viewed here.
The building was also officially renamed after Mary Louise Wallace on Tuesday.
Wallace, a retired teacher in the Bethel school system and a Riverside resident, died at the age of 82 in January 2021.
In her will, Wallace requested to leave the bulk of her estate to primarily assist older adults in Greenwich, especially those who are income-constrained and want to remain in town, and to assist older adults in caring for their pets.
About $2.5 million will go towards renovating the lower level, first floor and entryway of the center. Greenwich Commission on Aging Chair Steven Katz said the commission is going out to bid this spring on architectural concepts for the renovations.
Additionally, the remaining of Wallace’s estate, valued at up to $2 million, will be used to implement evidence-based programming for seniors.
The town accepted Wallace’s gift in 2022.
On Tuesday, Katz spoke about the importance of a new café and the critical senior programming.
The first benefit is the offering of delicious and healthy meals on a daily basis.
“It’s very important for older adults to get nutritious meals throughout the day. Sometimes it’s the only meal they may get that’s really nutritious, and that’s really, really important for their health,” Katz said. “But there are other things as well. When you go to have a meal here, what you see is a lot of socialization. Socialization and social isolationism is a big issue for older adults.”
Katz cited a study he had seen that showed 80 percent of older adults who take part in meals at senior centers report that they made more friends as a result.
Additionally, Katz said seniors who participate in senior center meals are more likely to avail themselves of activities and programming that have health implications.
“The public health aspect of having a really high-end dining program at a senior center goes far beyond saying, ‘Wow, that’s a great place to go to have breakfast or lunch.’ It really goes beyond that from a public health perspective,” Katz added.
Katz thanked all the stakeholders involved, from the First Selectman’s Office and Friends Of The Greenwich Senior Center, to various town departments like the Board of Estimate & Taxation and Representative Town Meeting, for helping to make the café come to fruition.
“This has been a long time in the making,” Katz noted.
First Selectman Fred Camillo also spoke briefly during Tuesday’s ceremony.
“Three of the most important things as we grow older that keep us healthy are a good diet and having healthy food, exercise, and socialization. This place will give us all three,” he said.
The building was originally built in 1905 and was once home to town hall until 1980. The on the National Register of Historic Places.
“The outside looks great, and we kept saying for years we just want the inside to match it,” Camillo said. “This is the beginning of that. It’s in a great location and it’s going to be here forever. Thank you to everybody who comes here, everybody who volunteers here, everyone who works here. This is your day.”
Membership to the Wallace Center is free and available only to Greenwich residents aged 55 and over.
To become a member, stop by or call the senior center office at 203-862-6720 or click here to apply online.
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