Serving Seniors

Conclusion

Serving Seniors meets the 20 Standards for Charity Accountability.

Purpose

Stated Purpose:
Helping seniors in poverty live healthy and fulfilling lives.

Year, State Incorporated:
1973, CA

Programs

Serving Seniors is a nonprofit organization in San Diego, California, that helps seniors in poverty live healthy and fulfilling lives. Established in 1970, Serving Seniors helps low-income and unhoused seniors thrive using an innovative model of whole-person, wraparound support including meals, housing, health and social services, and enrichment activities. We work at numerous sites across the county and in the homes of hundreds of homebound seniors. Our flagship Gary & Mary West Senior Wellness Center is unlike any other senior center in the nation. Open 365 days a year, the Wellness Center provides daily meals, along with two floors of integrated resources including health clinicians, case managers, housing assistance, activities, lifelong learning, a Cyber Café, and connection to over 25 direct service partners, including an on-site senior dental center. Last year, we served over 1.5 million meals and coordinated services to 13,265 older adults aged 60 and above, most of them living on less than $1,125 per month. Serving Seniors is the largest provider of meals to seniors in San Diego County, and one of the only organizations across the country providing such a broad base of services to low-income and unhoused older adults.

Serving Seniors delivers comprehensive, client-centered services that help seniors in poverty thrive. As a leading provider of services to low-income and unhoused seniors, we know that poverty-related issues are complex, interrelated, and require a coordinated approach. Based on the principles of whole-person care, our innovative model looks at a clients full spectrum of needs across multiple areas—nutrition, housing, health, and social—and delivers a wraparound system of integrated care.

Congregate Dining
We serve nutritious congregate meals at ten congregate dining sites across San Diego County, including our Gary & Mary West Senior Wellness Center, Judith L. Seltz Senior Wellness Center, Potiker Family Senior Residence, and seven partner community centers: Bay Terraces Community and Senior Center, City of La Mesa Adult Enrichment Center, Ed Brown Senior Center at Rancho Bernardo, Imperial Beach Senior Citizens Center, Oceanside Senior Citizens Center, and Park de la Cruz Community Center. We provide one serving of breakfast and three servings of lunch, 365 days a year, at our Wellness Center, and at least one serving of lunch five days a week at all other sites. 

Home-Delivered Meals
Serving Seniors delivers freshly prepared nutritious meals directly to the homes of homebound seniors via 38 delivery routes. Our home-delivery service area spans from as far south as San Ysidro to as far north as Oceanside. Meals are prepared daily in the kitchen of our Potiker Family Senior Residence and designed in partnership with a Registered Dietitian. Our meals provide one-third of our clients nutrition requirements and accommodate a wide variety of dietary needs, including low-sodium and low-fat diets. Unlike similar programs, we never charge a fee, ensuring that no senior ever goes hungry.

Frozen Meals
In 2022, Serving Seniors introduced a frozen meal program designed to help low-income seniors who were identified as nutritionally at-risk during COVID. Clients receive a delivery of seven frozen meals, fruit, and powdered milk once a week to help reduce hunger and malnutrition.

Permanent Supportive Housing
Serving Seniors provides low-income seniors direct access to affordable housing by developing and maintaining permanent affordable housing residences. Currently, the organization operates five supportive housing residences:

•Potiker Family Senior Residence, located in the East Village community of downtown San Diego, offers 200 studio apartments and a range of amenities such as a fitness room, vegetable garden, dining room, community room, computer lab/library room, laundry facilities, and full-time security.
•Potiker City Heights Residence, in City Heights, offers 150 studios and one-bedroom apartments. Amenities include complete kitchens in each unit, central AC/heating, patio, storage, a dining room, community/TV room, and underground parking.
•Schmale Family Senior Residence in Ramona, California, offers 61 affordable housing units for low-income special needs seniors, including those with disabilities, mental health issues, and/or a history of homelessness.
•Harris Family Senior Residence, our first intergenerational property, is in City Heights and offers 117 one-bedroom apartments for seniors. Amenities include fully equipped kitchens, in-unit laundry, secure underground parking and indoor and outdoor gathering space.
•Paul Downey Senior Residence and Judith L. Seltz Senior Wellness Center, offering 79-units of affordable housing in Clairemont. featuring amenities such as congregate dining, community room, case management health education services, enrichment activities, and a roof-top gathering space with amazing views.  

Our age-friendly residences are centrally located and within walking distance of public transportation, pharmacies, shopping centers, libraries, and parks. Rent is capped at 35-60% of the Area Median Income. All our complexes provide on-site supportive services that help residents stay healthy and independent, including nutritious meals, walk-in hours with health educators and case managers, and enrichment activities.

In addition to our residences, Serving Seniors is contracted to provide supportive housing services at three other senior housing sites: San Diego Square, New Palace Hotel, and Village North Senior.

Health and Social Services
Health Education
Serving Seniors health educators reduce health disparities for low-income seniors by providing no-cost health case management and health education services to hundreds of low-income and unhoused seniors annually. During one-on-one visits, our health educators provide individualized health counseling and assessments, blood pressure monitoring, weight management, and help coordinate primary healthcare needs. Health educators monitor clients' progress and provide weekly, walk-in Blood Pressure Screening Clinics at the Gary & Mary West Senior Wellness Center.  In addition, we host health education classes on a range of topics, including heart health, stroke, Alzheimers disease and dementia, and managing chronic diseases. Classes are led by our health educators and feature guest speakers from various community health organizations, including Sharp Senior Health, Champions for Health, Scripps Healthcare, UCSD Health, Family Health Centers of San Diego, OpSam Health, and the Alzheimers Association. New collaborations forged this past year include Father Joes Street Medicine Outreach Team and Downtown San Diego Partnership Outreach Team, which  are assisting our teams in securing shelter bed placements for seniors. 

As part of Serving Seniors' unique model of integrated care, our health educators work together with our social work team, which has staff available on-site at most locations to provide support for a variety of social issues that present barriers to health. Referrals are made with a warm hand-off, often the very same day, reducing the need for the client to return later.

Social Service Case Management
Serving Seniors social service case managers work one-on-one with clients to provide support for the complex, poverty-related issues that threaten their stability and well-being. Our client-centered approach considers the unique needs of each senior and addresses issues that impact their daily life. Assistance may include:

•Applying for social security benefits and entitlements.
•Support with navigating benefits and health insurance environments.
•Coordinating transportation and/or other appointments.
•Referrals to legal assistance, support groups, and healthcare providers.
•Connecting seniors to in-house and community resources.  

Our case managers offer onsite walk-in hours and scheduled appointments at multiple locations, including the Gary and Mary West Senior Wellness Center and Serving Seniors four affordable housing residences. Case managers assist clients by providing appropriate interventions, serving as a helping hand and a listening ear. Many of our case managers are bilingual to meet the specific needs of our diverse clients.
 
Enrichment & Activities
Serving Seniors' Enrichment & Activities Program reduces social isolation among low-income seniors by providing more than 1,500 classes and activities a year to stimulate the mind and body. Offered daily at Serving Seniors Gary & Mary West Senior Wellness Center and housing sites across the county, activities include fitness classes, walking groups, health education, cultural enrichment, leadership training, creative writing workshops, arts and crafts, talent competitions, social activities, and much more. The opportunity to learn new skills and try new things helps keep our clients minds sharp, promotes active lifestyles and gives them valuable opportunities to meet new people and create lasting connections. Our educational opportunities help seniors grow as individuals and members of our diverse community, increasing personal fulfillment and improving their quality of life.

For the year ended June 30, 2025, Serving Seniors's program expenses were:

Governance & Staff

Chief Executive
Melinda Forstey, President/CEO

Chair of the Board
Jim Sikora

Chair's Profession / Business Affiliation
Slalom Pacific Southwest

Board Size
14

Fundraising

Method(s) Used:
Direct mail appeals, Invitations to fund raising events, Print advertisements (newspapers, magazines, etc.), Television, Grant proposals, Internet, Planned giving arrangements, Cause-related marketing (affinity credit cards, consumer product sales, etc.), Other

Tax Status

This organization is tax-exempt under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. It is eligible to receive contributions deductible as charitable donations for federal income tax purposes.

Financial

The following information is based on Serving Seniors's audited financial statements for the year ended June 30, 2025.

Source of Funds

Programs: 87% Fundraising: 6% Administrative: 7%