Gwanak-gu Accelerates Creating a Happy Gwanak for Seniors with 'Senior Centers Providing Lunch 5 Days a Week'

Lunch Provided 5 Days a Week at 101 Senior Centers... Additional Support for Grain Costs, Side Dish Expenses, and Lunch Assistants
Expanded Lunch Service Expected to Increase Visits and Reduce Social Isolation Among Seniors

Gwanak-gu (District Mayor Park Jun-hee) has expanded lunch support at senior centers to five days a week to provide sufficient meals for the elderly using these centers.

Following the nationwide expansion plan for the 'Senior Center Lunch 5-Day Program' led by the Ministry of Health and Welfare, the district has been providing additional food expenses since July to ensure that seniors visiting the centers can receive lunch five days a week smoothly.

Currently, the district supports lunch five days a week at 101 senior centers (90%) within the area, exceeding Seoul's phased expansion target of 80% for the 5-day lunch program at senior centers.

Meanwhile, the district previously provided an average of 4.6 days of lunch per week at 112 out of 113 senior centers, far surpassing the national average of 3.4 days and Seoul's 3.3 days.

Despite continuous price increases following COVID-19, the district allocated 630 million KRW for food expenses, a more than 25% increase compared to the previous year, maintaining consistent lunch support for the elderly.

This achievement results from the district's efforts since the 7th local government term to prioritize "Happy Seniors in Gwanak" and create "Senior Centers You Want to Visit." The district has laid the foundation for stable lunch provision through improvements in senior center kitchen facilities, budget support for food expenses, and increased activity fees for lunch helpers at senior centers.

District Mayor Park Jun-hee stated, "In a super-aged society, providing lunch support five days a week at senior centers is an essential system to maintain the health and improve the quality of life of the elderly." He added, "With the expansion of lunch support, we hope that increased visits to senior centers and social activities will help prevent depression among seniors and alleviate social isolation."