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The Sudbury Senior Center has a dynamic new senior meals program, and it’s about more than just some good grub. Sudbury Weekly caught up with the Senior Center team that put the program together for a Q&A on all things “Sudbury Eats.”
“Sudbury Eats launched back on May 6th out of your commercial kitchen. What inspired the creation of this program, and what has the response from local seniors been like during these first few months?”
When the Fairbank Community center building opened in 2023, budget constraints meant the commercial kitchen could not be fully completed. Thanks to funding through Representative Gentile and Senator Eldridge in 2025, we were able to purchase much of the remaining major appliances, cookware, and kitchen equipment, allowing the kitchen to be completed and receive its permit in February 2026.
When our new director, Nickole Boardman, joined the team, one of her top priorities was to bring the kitchen to life. Having previously worked at senior centers with successful lunch programs, she knew the value they bring to a community. It would have been a shame to have such a beautiful commercial kitchen sitting unused.
A meal program at a senior center is about much more than serving food. It creates opportunities for people to gather, socialize, build friendships, and reduce loneliness by sharing conversation over a meal. With that vision in mind, we started looking to hire a part-time cook.
We were fortunate to have the perfect person already on our team. Sarah Green Vaswani, our Coordinator of Volunteer Programs, has a true passion for cooking and eagerly embraced the opportunity to lead the program.
The response from our seniors has been very positive. Summers are relaxed at the Senior Center so we’ve had the space to learn and grow together. Our participants so far have been very enthusiastic about the food and the opportunity to eat a quality, affordable, meal with friends in a relaxed environment. We can’t wait to bring the opportunity to more people in the Fall.
“Congratulations on the incredible $225,000 Cummings Foundation Grant! Over the next three years, how will this funding transform ‘Sudbury Eats’ beyond what you originally envisioned?”
This significant investment will help fund essential startup costs, including staffing, food service operations, and kitchen supplies, enabling the Center’s newly completed commercial kitchen to become fully operational. The program, called Sudbury Eats, will provide nutritious, freshly prepared meals while fostering meaningful social connections for older adults and enhancing the Town’s emergency shelter capabilities. This grant marks an exciting milestone in promoting healthy aging, reducing social isolation, and creating a vibrant community gathering place for Sudbury’s growing senior population.
The grant allows us to expand the existing program in a number of ways: we can offer meals more frequently and offer a wider variety of meals. We’re also hoping to be able to grow some of our own produce in season, and put some finishing touches on the kitchen.
“Come September, you’re expanding lunch to two days a week and introducing a monthly breakfast. What can you tell us about the new menus, and how do you manage the logistics of scaling up production?”
The menus are ever-evolving. We make one meal a day, so if someone wants that meal, they sign up. We try to serve meals for a variety of tastes, including at least one vegetarian meal a month. Over the summer we’ve been testing out dishes and determining what people like. We’ve put out suggestion cards so that seniors have a voice in the program. We’ll use that info to determine menus going forward. So far, we know people like comfort food. Oven-fried chicken with mashed potatoes and green beans was a huge hit, and they’ve asked for dishes like meatloaf and American Chop Suey so those will appear on the menu in the coming months along with seasonal favorites like summer corn and potato chowder and desserts with seasonal fruits.
Scaling up production is a matter of research, time management, and organization. We’re all learning as we go but feeling more and more confident as time goes on and we get used to working together in the kitchen, with commercial equipment.
“You’re planning an evening event in September to celebrate the grant and introduce the program to the public. Who is invited to this event, and what do you hope the broader Sudbury community takes away from it?” Who is invited?
All Seniors are invited to celebrate the opening of this new lunch program as well as celebrate the Cummings Foundation grant that will allow us to expand.
We hope the event raises awareness about the program and shows the community what we can do. The Senior center is a very special place, fueled by volunteers, and when we work together, we can make amazing things happen.
“Operating a program like this requires a lot of hands. Can you tell us a bit about the team making this happen —are there local chefs, staff members, or volunteers cooking up these meals?”
Launching Sudbury Eats has truly been a team effort, and we’re incredibly grateful to the many people and organizations who helped make it possible. We especially want to recognize the Health Department and Combined Facilities staff, who were instrumental in setting up the commercial kitchen, navigating the permitting process, and helping us troubleshoot along the way. We’d also like to thank our former Director, Deb Galloway, whose leadership secured the funding needed to purchase the remaining appliances, cookware, and kitchen equipment that allowed us to complete the space and get permitted.
We’re also deeply appreciative of Friends of Sudbury Seniors Inc., whose early grant funding helped outfit the kitchen before the building was even completed. Their vision and support laid the groundwork for what has become a thriving community program.
Today, our meals are prepared by a volunteer team led by Sarah Green Vaswani, our Coordinator of Volunteer Programs / Kitchen Manager, whose passion for cooking and creativity in the kitchen have been key to the program’s success. In the months leading up to the opening, she recruited and trained about 30 kitchen volunteers. Sarah’s leadership, vision, and commitment to our volunteers have been instrumental in bringing the program from the planning stages to a successful launch, laying the foundation for what we hope will become a cherished community gathering place.
Together, with the support of staff, volunteers, and our community partners, Sudbury Eats has become a wonderful example of what can be accomplished through collaboration.
“For seniors who want to come enjoy a meal—or residents looking to support the program—how does registration work, what is the cost (if any), and where can people find more information?”
Information about the program, including dates and menus, can be found on our website https://sudburyseniorcenter.org/ in the Sudbury Scene, our monthly newsletter. The program is open to any Senior Center member. Just call or email to register. If you’re not a current member, just give us a call and become one for free. For lunch, there is a $5 charge, cash, payable at the door. However, we don’t want money to be a barrier to coming to enjoy a great meal. We offer financial assistance for those in need. We do ask that people register in advance so that we know how many people to cook for. We’re trying to run the program sustainably, with little food waste, so it’s important that we don’t overcook.
All Images: Sudbury Senior Center