Listen to this article
The Salvation Army in San Diego County offers seniors meals in a welcoming community.
This story is part of Caring’s 2026 print edition, “Joy That Moves,” featuring lives changed through the joy of giving. Read the issue here.
At first glance, it’s a senior nutrition program—a hot meal at lunch, and now breakfast at some sites. Step inside Club 60 on a weekday, though, and you’ll find something more: tables filled with conversation, staff and volunteers greeting seniors by name, and participants lingering long after the meal ends.
“We don’t just want to feed people; we want to really see them. We want to know their name and their story,” said Theron Ross, Salvation Army Director of Senior Nutrition for San Diego County.
Across the county, The Salvation Army’s Club 60 program has supported older adults for decades. Today, it operates across multiple sites, reaching some 1,600 older adults each week. Over the past year, the program provided more than 59,000 meals at no cost to participants, supported by the Older Americans Act and local donors.
Club activities vary—games, arts and crafts, movement classes and occasional dances—but the focus remains the same: nourishing body, mind and spirit while creating a place where older adults are known and supported.
And no matter the location, one activity reigns supreme: bingo, with seniors vying for donated prizes.
Here’s a look inside the happenings of four Club 60 locations.
Home-cooked meals made just right in Oceanside
When Patricia Weathersby moved to The Salvation Army Silvercrest Senior Residence in Oceanside in September 2025, she didn’t know a soul. That was before Club 60.
The site functions as a hub for connection, with participants getting to know one another and engaging in activities through the Oceanside Corps, including Sunday worship.
Site Director Michelle Tran plans menus in advance, featuring dishes crafted with the dietary needs of regular participants in mind. The food is prepared in-house at the on-site kitchen. The result? Warm meals that are appealing and tailored to the seniors who gather there.
For many seniors, Club 60 provides their main meal of the day.
“I don’t really like to cook that much, so I have a nice healthy meal every lunchtime,” Weathersby said.
Attendance has grown steadily, with Tran noting the room now averages 30 to 35 participants—about triple previous numbers.
“There’s barely enough space; the cafeteria is full,” she said.
Chula Vista seniors bring down the house
Mondays in Chula Vista are regularly built around karaoke. A couple brings the karaoke machine and helps lead the monthly activity, where participants belt out renditions of “My Girl” and “I Will Survive.” Volunteers and older adults in job-training roles lend support.
The dining room is filled with music, laughter and movement. About 80 to 90 seniors typically attend that day, many singing, dancing and staying long after lunch is served.
“It’s their place,” Ross said. “We don’t impose a lot of rules and regulations. We want people to feel comfortable coming here.”
Greg Power is a regular—he first heard about Club 60 from a friend.
“I wasn’t even 60 years old, so I lied about my age,” he said. “Now I just have a good time.”
Support from breakfast to bingo in El Cajon
El Cajon’s Club 60 operates on a daily rhythm of breakfast, lunch and activities, supported by its location on the East County Red Shield Community Center campus, which includes a gym, fitness center and food bank. Seniors often arrive for breakfast, join a Feeling Fit class on Mondays and Wednesdays, and stay through lunch.
The addition of breakfast reflects both growth and practical need. Attendance averages about 65 to 75 participants at lunch and roughly 110 to 120 across breakfast and lunch combined, with regulars coming several times a week.
“We let them know they don’t have to eat their lunch,” said Site Manager Tyla Banks. “They’re welcome to take the lunch for their dinner… it helps a lot of them with their food budgets.”
During meals, attendees take part in question-and-answer games designed to help people get to know one another, along with the bingo, of course.
Along with staff, volunteers support the site, including 22-year-old Isaac Cesena, who serves breakfast Monday through Friday while taking a gap year before medical school.
“I fell in love with it… It’s just the people,” he said. “Senior humor is just the best.”
Connection across cultures in San Diego
At the San Diego Citadel location on the Door of Hope campus, seniors at Club 60 share a hot meal and often stay for chair‑friendly Tai Chi, karaoke and bingo. Just outside, an edible garden tended by staff, volunteers and seniors provides vegetables and herbs, reinforcing the site’s emphasis on health and shared life.
Site leader Dalelana “Lana” Dautremont, who has guided the program for nearly two decades, said Club 60 is known for its diversity and close‑knit feel, with Chinese, Korean, Filipino, Swedish, English and Spanish speakers sharing tables and conversation. Many are longtime regulars, including one woman who has attended for 11 years and says her “mind is very peaceful” when she is there.
Dautremont describes Club 60 as far more than a meal site. She says it’s a daily community where relationships deepen over time. With help from dedicated volunteers and a longtime staff member, the team works to ensure that no one goes unseen.
“People should never have to be alone,” she said. “That’s what we serve here—making sure that nobody is left behind.”
Do Good:
- Every community is unique. So are our services. Learn more on how you can support The Salvation Army at caringmagazine.org/give.
