Big News: State to Pick Up the Tab for Week Day Lunch at the Tri County Senior Center

By Pauline Masson –

Beginning this week, Aging Ahead – through the State Department of Health and Senior Services – will support the week day lunch program at Pacific’s Tri County Senior Center, 800 West Union Street.

Adults age 60 and older will be offered a “healthy and nutritious” lunch at no cost.

The center will accept and appreciate a suggested donation of $4 for lunch but it is not necessary.

Aging Ahead, formerly the Mid East Area Agency on Agency, recently made the public announcement.

Lunch is served at 11:30 a.m., Monday through Friday. Adults younger than 60 years are welcome to dine. Cost for their lunch remains at $6. Diners are asked to telephone 636-257-6264 by 9:30 a.m. when they plan to come for lunch so the kitchen will know how many meals to prepare.

This is big, big news for the Pacific institution and could not be more timely, according Terry Noonan Ruyle, the center’s popular director.

“Food costs are rising across the board,” Ruyle said. “This Aging Ahead support will benefit not only our center but local senior citizens who are struggling with food costs.” 

 She is hoping more citizens will put off making lunch at home and come out and enjoy lunch with the senior center crowd.

Pacific’s unique senior center was the dream of the late Helen Preiss, who led a ten-year campaign to raise funds to construct a senior center, after the former lunch program at the American Legion Post was shut down.

She feared that senior citizens, many of whom live alone, could not live full healthy lives if they were confined to the isolation of their homes. 

By the time she got it built, it was the only senior center in Franklin County, whose building was completely paid for. It was also the only senior center in Franklin that had no source of government income. The center was forced to operate on local fundraisers and what seniors paid for their lunches.

Eventually the City of Pacific and Franklin County United Way made annual stipends to help operate the building. But it was never enough and the senior patrons themselves learned to conduct fund raisers to keep the building operating.

The regular senior patrons became adept at organizing fundraising events. They hosted flea markets, Elvis shows, which always drew good crowds, dances, and an annual 5k run that turned out to be one of their most successful fund raisers.

Through it all, the main week day business of the building fulfilled Helen Preiss’ mission of providing primary support of senior citizens in the tri-county region.

In addition to lunch Monday through Friday, seniors participate in health fairs where they get their blood pressure, vision, and hearing tested, play cards, take exercise classes, have their income tax returns completed and play bingo twice a week.

The building evolved into a community center. East Central College hosts GED classes here to help area residents gain high school equivalency certificates. Cub Scout leaders set up room length rails to enable Cubs to race their hand made pinewood cars. During renovation of the City Hall, Aldermen held their city government meetings here. Following floods of the Meramec River, The American Red Cross used the building as a shelter for flood victims. The building has hosted annual prayer meetings, baby showers, book sales, family reunions, funeral repasts, Girl Scout camp outs, Lions Club pancake breakfasts, local history presentations, Red Cross shelter, and senior games.

Citizens from every walk of life have had reason to visit the senior center since it opened in April 2007. The senior center has served as the magnet that pulls the community together, attracting more segments of the community than Helen Preiss ever dreamed of. 

And now lunch is free.